The Birdcage
by LiveLoveLikeMe
Summary: When the time comes for Emma to visit her parents, she finds herself in a bit of a predicament. Can she and Regina keep their relationship a secret in the Enchanted Forest? Loosely based on La Cage Aux Folles. Swan Queen f/f. Multi-chaptered.
1. Simplicities

The Birdcage

Disclaimer: I do not own Once or ABC or any of the following characters. My curse to take over is still in the developmental stages, unfortunately. I also don't own La Cage Aux Folles, as much as I love Albin.

Author's Notes: Okay, so I've been wanting to do a multi-chaptered Swan Queen story for a while now, but I didn't want to get into anything until I came up with a plot that I really liked. This started out to be based on the wonderful classic film, La Cage Aux Folles, but I'd say it's drifted a bit from that as I developed it more around the characters. I hope you all like. I'm quite busy with college and finals coming up soon, but I'll try to stick with an update schedule of at least once a week.

It's not exactly AU, but it does take place a while after the curse and everything broke.

Also, this is SWAN QUEEN, so be warned that there will be femslash in this story.

* * *

Chapter One: Simplicities

Storybrooke, Maine was once more aflutter with citizens moving about the routines of their everyday lives. To most, it was no more than a simple town, filled with simple people leading simple lives with their simple jobs and ever so simple families. That much had not changed, as the town still held such a charm as to keep it from ever resembling anything more.

There were, however, some members of this simple place that lurked in the shadows at night, protecting secrets from the outsiders that now seemed to dominate the society of their small town. These were the people that, if ever found out, would likely cause the world to erupt in chaos. After all, people don't tend to take well to finding out they've been under the spell of an evil queen.

Of course, there was no such spell. The mayor of this small town was merely a charming woman with a past that only a few remaining in this world knew about, but that wouldn't stop those wandering minds from believing they were. The people of this world were truly no different from the old citizens who had chosen to go back home, still apt as ever to point the accusing finger her way without even so much as a second thought. Some things, it seemed, truly would never change.

Once the breaking curse had reached its completion and a portal between the worlds had finally been opened, most of the citizens of Storybrooke had decided to go home. Some took the chance they were given at a fresh start and stayed around town or ventured off to explore the rest of the world that had previously remained quite the mystery, but a majority had chosen to return to their lives in the Enchanted Forest and try to pick up where they last left off. Nostalgia can be a fairly powerful thing.

For Snow and Charming, the answer had ultimately been simple. They were expected to lead their people and rule over the White Kingdom, so they fulfilled their duty and led the masses home. The pair, of course, had wanted their newly reacquainted daughter and grandson to travel with them, but there was something holding Emma Swan back.

Regina's punishment for the curse had been quite merciful, in the terms of their land. Rather than death for her crimes, she was faced with banishment from the Enchanted Forest. She would be permitted to visit Henry, as even Snow could not bear to cause another woman to experience the separation from her child as she'd felt, even if it was the woman who'd inflicted the pain on her in the first place. When the curse had broken and time had come for a final battle, Regina had fought alongside them, ultimately bringing about the defeat of the Dark One. While no truce had ever been made, it had garnered her a great deal of leniency. She would spend her days running the town, using her magic to make sure no wandering outsiders found their way to the portal.

This had all been agreed upon, unfortunately, before anyone thought to ask Emma about coming back to the forest. She didn't even have to think about it to know that she had no desire to live in the strange land. They had all continuously called it home, and maybe for them the Enchanted Forest was home, but Emma only thought of the place as a bad dream in which she wanted no part.

Then there was the problem of her parents. She wasn't ready to go play princess in a castle with her parents Snow White and Prince Charming; it was all too much for her to handle, if she was being honest with herself, though she'd never have said so to Snow. Emma had gone from growing up with nothing more than a constantly crumbling dream of a family to being a part of one of the most insane families she could have ever imagined. She really needed some space from it all to think things through.

Ultimately, Emma had informed her parents that, while visitations were nice, Henry needed to grow up with both of his mothers. She hated using the kid as an excuse, but the hurt on Snow's face had deterred her from explaining her true need of space. Besides, Henry did need both mothers, and the kid had agreed to stay behind with Regina.

Another interesting addition to the mix had been, surprisingly, Cora. With the defeat of the Dark One, Cora had finally been able to confess to Regina the whole story. She'd told her about the deal she had made as a young girl who feared her life, about how she had signed Regina's fate over to Rumplestiltskin for his plan before she knew what was happening. There had been nothing she could do to get out of it, for the man's manipulations and trickery knew no bounds, but she apologized for all she had done to her only child and begged for another chance. Reluctantly, Regina had agreed to try, seeing as she'd been recently given a similar chance for redemption. It was a long battle, but they eventually grew to have a closer relationship, once the pain and lies came to an end.

The only other who had actually chosen to remain in Storybrooke was Archie. He had decided to live out the rest of his life as a human, realizing that Gepetto no longer needed him, now that he'd been reunited with his son. He quite enjoyed Storybrooke, and wanted to spend his time helping a multitude of people as he had been during the curse. Regina was his top priority.

A year after the curse broke, things in Storybrooke were relatively the same. Regina had regained her position as Mayor and had worked to bring people from the outside into town. Her efforts, mixed with Emma's knowledge of the rest of the world, had brought a lot of lives together in their quaint little town. Outsiders weren't the only ones brought together though.

With only a few of them remaining in the town, the previous citizens if the Enchanted Forest had all grown considerable close; some closer than others. A few months after everyone went back found a romance quickly brewing between Emma and Regina, who had spent many moments together under the guise of making things work for Henry. The relationship between the mayor and the sheriff was well known to the members of the new Storybrooke, but the lack of communication between there and the Enchanted Forest, due to the latest ogre wars that Snow and Charming were readily fighting, kept word from spreading between worlds for the time being.

That is, until a little bird paid them all a visit through the hidden portal.

As per the usual routine, every Wednesday Emma and Regina would travel to the crypt under the guise of bringing flowers to the late Henry Mills. In reality, they were going underground to check the portal for any signs of intruders or trouble. The Dark One may have been gone, but there would always be ten more wishing they were just like him to cause trouble, so one could never be too safe. Normally, Emma and Regina would spend a few moments looking around, Regina casting an enchantment to see if anyone had passed through. With all the commotion happening on the other side as the people tried to readjust and protect their land from the ogres, it was rare that any visitations happened.

On this particular day, however, something was different.

"Regina, what is it?" Emma whispered, eyes widening as she reached for her girlfriend who had suddenly stiffened quite noticeably.

Regina held up an elegant finger in a sharp movement, effectively shutting the blonde up. Glancing around the vast space of the room, Regina's eyes zeroed in on a pitch black crow sitting perched a few feet away. In its beak was what looked to be a letter of sorts.

"Can we help you?" Regina inquired to the bird with a commanding tone, ignoring the look of utter confusion from her girlfriend. She was used to the blonde's constant questioning of everything by now, and she wasn't in the mood to explain why she was talking to a bird.

Silently, the crow cut through the air, landing on Regina's outstretched arm and effectively dropping the letter into her gloved hand. "It is from Queen Snow for Princess Emma," the crow spoke in a crackled tone.

From the side, Regina could hear Emma gasping in surprise, causing her to smirk.

"Did that bird just talk?" Emma asked, gaping at the pair with eyes wide.

"Of course, dear," Regina replied as if it was nothing, which to her it really was. She paid the messenger quite extravagantly, with something shiny that Emma was unable to identify. "Thank you for your services. If you will remain here, we shall bring back a response for you to deliver tomorrow."

With a respectful bow, the crow squawked and flew back to its original perch, apparently content with the plan.

Regina clutched the letter in her hand, noticing the elegant writing on the outside that said "Emma" in a familiar loopy script. Turning briskly and gliding up the stairs, Regina wasted no time in her haste to return home. Emma trailed along behind, her jaw still barely hanging on by its hinge.

"Babe, what is it?" Emma questioned, effectively breaking the silence that had fallen between them as Regina was lost in her thoughts.

As they had almost returned to the mansion by now, Regina chose to remain silent, milling things over in her mind. She didn't need to open this letter to know what it would be. It was the first real form of communication Snow had tried with her daughter since leaving, and the brunette dreaded to think what it might mean.

Did she want Emma and Henry to come to the forest now that they had settled in? That was a very real possibility, one that Regina did not want to entertain. Emma was her family now, her everything. Their love had grown so strong; the thought of possibly losing her was almost too much to bear.

"Regina?" Emma pushed.

The brunette simply locked their eyes as she kept walking before glancing at the mansion in the near distance, signaling that this conversation should wait until they were away from prying eyes.

Emma, being the ever impatient child that she was, all but bolted up the driveway, standing anxiously in front of the massive white front door as she waited for Regina to hurry up and let them in. She was beginning to understand why the brunette always chastised her for forgetting to bring her house keys with her. The antics normally would have made the brunette laugh, but her nerves were completely focused on the unknown contents of Emma's letter for the time being.

As elegantly as ever, Regina took her time getting to the door where Emma awaited with fidgeting hands. Once both were inside the door, Regina carefully locked it to make sure no unwanted visitors could enter.

"Babe, what is it? Is that letter really for me?" Emma tried again.

"Henry!" Regina called, still choosing to ignore Emma's pleas.

"In here, Mom!" came Henry's voice. The two women followed it to the family room, where Henry was sitting playing video games with Cora, who had taken to watching her grandson after school once things had improved between her and Regina. On the couch sat Archie, at no surprise to the two women.

Once the majority of their friends and family had all went home, Archie had begun spending his time with the family. Cora was especially interesting to him, as the woman had yet to realize he was trying to psychoanalyze her. Emma and Regina just found the strange interaction between the two amusing, and Archie had quickly become family.

She smiled at her son in greeting. "Henry, I need you to go upstairs to your room and finish your homework, please," Regina ordered. She could see the rebuttal forming on his lips, but then Emma stepped in.

"Yeah, kid, just for a little while. Then maybe I can talk your mom in to getting a pizza for dinner, deal?" Emma bargained. The boy looked reluctantly between his two mothers, clearly knowing that something was about to happen that he'd rather not miss. In the end, he paused the game and headed upstairs, the prospect of pizza winning out.

"Is everything all right, dear?" Cora asked once the bow was out of hearing distance, her brows knitted up in concern.

Regina was still staring at letter in her palm, quickly moving it every time Emma made a grab for it.

"Gina," she whined, using the nickname she knew her girlfriend detested, "I thought it was for me. Gimmie my letter!"

With a heavy sigh, Regina handed it over, confident that they were in a safe location for whatever information was contained inside. "Fine," she whispered. Cora and Archie were looking at the two of them expectantly. "When we got to the portal, there was a messenger bird with a letter from Snow," she explained.

She watched as her girlfriend greedily tore into the envelope, pulling out a letter with the same curly handwriting as the one on the envelope.

After a few minutes of nervous silence while Emma read over the letter with no expression, Regina couldn't take the tension any longer. "Emma, what does it say?" she asked, a little more harshly than intended.

"Here," Emma spoke in shock, acting as though she'd just seen a ghost. Regina snatched the letter to read for herself, reaching out with the other hand to rub small, calming circles on the blonde's back as she read the letter.

"_Dear Emma,_

_My darling daughter, I do hope you and Henry are well. Your father and I miss you so much here in the Enchanted Forest. I could tell you wanted your space, and we decided to give it to you while the war for our land against the ogres was being fought. I hope that you've had enough space for me to be sending you this, but it has been a year, and each day is like a constant reminder of how we've lost you again. I don't think I could bare another second of this silence. _

_Today marks the end of the war, as the ogres are finally off our land. Things here have actually gotten running quite well; It is much different from the broken kingdom you encountered on our brief trip through the hat all those months ago. There is a gentleness moving though our kingdom, as people have begun incorporating parts of the Storybrooke world into our lives here. I'm sure you'll be glad to hear that._

_Your father and I were hoping you all would come join us for a celebration of the end of the war. It would be a good chance for us to get to see each other again, as well as to finally present you as the princess to the kingdom._

_I miss you very much, Emma. We both do. I understand if you are not ready yet, but I do hope you feel comfortable joining us for a while. I'll be anxiously awaiting word from you._

_Love, Snow"_

"They want you to come visit," Regina spoke quietly once she was finished reading.

"They want us all to come visit," Emma clarified, looking at the other adults in the room and then pointedly at Regina.

"And do you think you're ready for that?" Regina asked, reaching a gentle hand up to cup her girlfriend's cheek as she awaited an honest answer.

"I… I think it would be nice to see them," Emma answered hesitantly, "but…"

"What is it, love?" Regina asked softly, her finger's stroking the blonde's gentle cheek.

Emma seemed to look down for a moment, almost nervously, before bringing her gaze back up to the brunette's. "What are we going to tell them about us?"

"What do you mean?" Cora interjected, not understanding how any of this was a problem as of yet.

Emma looked around, then back to Regina sheepishly. "It's just, the last time I saw them, we weren't together, and now…" Emma trailed off.

"And now we're in love and your oblivious parents hate me." Regina nodded in understanding. She did know what Emma meant; reuniting with one's parents after a year and showing up madly in love with the enemy of said parents wouldn't exactly be an ideal situation.

"Hate may be a bit strong…" Archie added hesitantly.

"My daughter tried to kill Snow and cursed everyone for 28 years, I think she may have a point," Cora said, a bit of pride highlighting her voice that the rest chose to ignore.

"Look, maybe we should just write back and say we aren't ready. They'll understand…" Emma suggested.

"No, Emma, you know you want to see them," Regina reasoned, wrapping her arms around the blonde's waist. "Maybe we can pretend, for a few days, that we aren't together. I don't want to make this harder on you than it already is."

"You would really do that for me?" Emma looked up tearfully. Regina sighed and leaned in, capturing her girlfriend's lips with her own in a tender kiss.

"Emma, I love you, and I know you love me. I won't be offended if you don't want to put too much on the table this time," the brunette spoke softly.

The two were lost in each other's eyes when the sound of a throat clearing brought them back to reality. "Uhm, girls, I get what you are trying to do here, but what about the, you know…" Cora questioned, gesturing to get her point across.

"Oh," Emma said, suddenly remembering the final predicament. "Well, I think we should be okay, as long as nobody says anything."

Regina turned away, not wanting to Emma to see her biting back tears. True, it had been her suggestion, and she did understand the blonde's reluctance to add more into the jumbled relationship she already had with her parents, but that didn't take away the sting she felt of knowing her love didn't want to acknowledge it to them.

"Don't you think lying to Snow and Charming might be the wrong thing to do? They're your parents, Emma. I'm sure they'll understand," Archie put in, always trying to be the conscience of every discussion.

Three stares locked on him, all with raised eyebrows. There was no way telling Snow that would do anything but bring further strain on the relationship between mother and child, and even Archie sighed as he acknowledged that they were correct.

"All right, so if we all agree, I'll go write a letter back to Snow saying that we'll all be there in two days. Sound good?" Emma asked, looking around to gauge their expressions.

Cora and Archie nodded, leaving the final decision to Regina. All looked at her expectantly.

"I suppose I should go explain to Henry how he can't tell Grandma and Grandpa anything about us," she sighed, not planning to fight this.

"Thank you, beautiful," Emma said sweetly, reaching in for one final kiss. "I promise, we will tell them about us. I just want to lay some sort of foundation first, but then they can know all about how in love we are, how happy we are with Henry, and even the other thing."

"Then we should all probably start getting ready, shouldn't we?" Regina said, plastering on a smile before leaving the room. She did plan on filling in Henry on some of the details, but first, there were some tears seriously threatening to fall, and she didn't want Emma to have to feel the burden of them.

* * *

So, opinions, thoughts, complaints? I'd love to hear them all. This is intended to get funnier as it goes.


	2. Hard Way Home

The Birdcage

Disclaimer: I do not own Once or ABC or any of the following characters. My curse to take over is still in the developmental stages, unfortunately. I also don't own La Cage Aux Folles, as much as I love Albin.

Author's Notes: Wow, thank you for all the support with this story. I realize that the first chapter wasn't much more than an introduction, but this is where the story starts to get going a bit. I'm glad there is interest in this. I love reading all the different opinions, and some of you have even guessed parts of where I'm going with this, so I'm excited to get this rolling.

* * *

Chapter Two: Hard Way Home

Just as planned, in two days time the group was all packed up and ready to go. The packed suitcases for the family were all sitting in the foyer, as all but Archie had been staying at the Mayor's mansion. He had agreed to just meet them at the portal.

"Regina, how much stuff do you need?" Emma groaned, wondering how three suitcases could be really necessary for a trip that was supposedly only going to be a few days long.

Regina simply rolled her eyes and looked over at her girlfriend pointedly. "Excuse me if I want to be prepared to travel to another _world_. I realize that your experience with magic is minimal, dear, but mine is not and I prefer to have some necessary things."

"Babe, I watched you pack. There is an entire suitcase of shoes," Emma chucked. Regina simply smirked, not caring that she was caught as her blonde savior pulled her close and pressed their lips together.

"Mmm," Emma sighed, pulling back before things could get too heated for Henry's little eyes. "But seriously, how are we supposed to get all of this down to the crypt? Even if I thought there was a chance I could carry all of this, if anyone sees us heading through a cemetery towards a crypt with all this, they'll think we're moving in."

"Really, Regina, must you have picked such a dim one?" Cora drawled, looking at Emma with dissatisfaction.

"Mother!"

"Well, honestly, by know you would think she'd be getting it."

"Getting what?" Emma asked, confused as ever as she looked between the miffed mother and daughter.

"Magic, dear." And with that, Cora flourished her arms in an exaggerate manner, leaving a deep purple smoke behind in place of their luggage.

"Oh," Emma said simply, blushing at her forgetfulness.

Regina had been limiting her use of magic lately, especially around Henry, so it was easy enough to understand why the blonde might not think of using it right off the bat. Cora, on the other hand, seemed incapable of functioning for an hour without it.

To an outsider, it might have seemed that Cora and Emma disliked each other, but in reality it was quite the contrary. They had become something akin to best sparring buddies. Emma constantly poked fun at Cora's inability to comprehend all the new things of this world—she still called her beloved yellow beetle the "strange banana carriage,"—and Cora used every chance she could get to point out Emma's lack of knowledge when it came to all things Fairytale Land.

The brunette simply gave Emma a small smile before turning and glaring lightly at her mother. "If we're done bickering, _children,_ we really ought to get going. It's still early enough that most of the town won't be up and about yet, but that won't last much longer."

"Can't we just, you know, poof there?" Henry asked innocently, earning a nice pat on the head from his grandmother. It still amazed Regina how different her mother was with him, and at times made her a bit weary as well, but Henry seemed to trust the woman.

"Good boy," Cora stated proudly, "always thinking, unlike some members of this family."

Emma rolled her eyes before looking to Regina, apparently wanting an answer to Henry's question as well.

"Normally we could, however as an extra precaution on the portal, I put an enchantment on our end that will require the use of magic to penetrate through and guide us to the correct location. I'm afraid it will be quite strenuous, so I'd prefer we just walk so I can save my energy as much as possible," Regina explained.

"Of course, babe." Emma smiled at her tiredly, for it was still far too early in the morning to the blonde sheriff, and leaned in for a quick kiss.

"Can we go now?" Henry interrupted, causing his mothers to pull apart.

"Excited, kid?" Emma asked with a chuckle.

"Uh, duh! We're going to Snow White's castle in the Enchanted Forest, and we get to see everyone. Who wouldn't be excited?"

Regina fought back the urge to say that she, for one, was not in the least bit excited. Not only was she going somewhere full of painful memories and people who likely still wanted her dead, but she was going to have to spend the whole time pretending she wasn't madly in love with Emma. For Henry's sake, though, she simply smiled kindly at him before ushering the group from her house.

The walk to the cemetery was relatively uneventful. Henry walked ahead with Cora, throwing more questions at her about the Enchanted Forest than the older woman could possibly ever answer, but his excitement was fueling her desire to make the boy live up to his fullest potential. Emma and Regina hung back a few paces behind, clutching each other's hands as they walked in silence.

"It's going to be okay," Regina said suddenly, and both women were unsure whether she was directing that reassurance at Emma or herself.

Emma lifted their entwined hands and placed a kiss on her girlfriend's tightly clutched knuckles. "Just remember, it's only a few days, and we can still sneak around together when my parents aren't looking. After all, what kind of princess would leave her queen untouched for so long? That would just be disgraceful of me!" Emma smiled cheekily.

Regina allowed the edges of her lips to curve up into a small smile, knowing Emma was trying to lighten the mood by behaving like a horny teenager. Then again, that wasn't very out of the ordinary for the blonde—not that she was complaining.

"Yes, I'm sure Snow would just be _thrilled_ to hear that," she drawled.

They approached the crypt and found Archie standing just inside the doorway waiting for them. "Are you excited Archie?" Henry asked happily as they all passed inside. Emma wordlessly pushed the large stone grave aside, revealing the now often traveled hidden stairwell.

"It'll be nice to see everyone."

"Mother, would you mind?" Regina asked, gesturing her hand towards the door. She was truly set on preserving every ounce of her magic for the trip. With a content smirk, Cora effortlessly locked the crypt so it could not be opened from the outside.

The group walked down the stairs towards the portal, Archie adding his own small suitcase to the mix of bags that Cora had "poofed" over. They watched as the older witch carefully moved her dexterous fingers in a swirling pattern and shrunk the sizes of all their things to nothing more than what could pass for tiny tic-tac boxes.

"Put your things in your pocket so you don't lose them, otherwise they will end up somewhere awful like Wonderland," Cora explained, looking pointedly at her daughter.

The younger brunette simply shook her head, reaching down to put all three of her mini bags in various places. "If I recall, mother, you did just fine there. Flourished, even."

"Yes, well, unless you want your girlfriend's clothes to flourish on that wretched Alice girl, I suggest you help her adjust that in her pocket better. Then again, you two do seem to like things especially out there, so maybe you'd enjoy it if Emma didn't have any—"

"Mother!" Regina interrupted, putting her hands over Henry's ears before the filter-lacking woman could go any further. Emma, for her part, just flushed bright red and shoved the bag in a little deeper.

"So, we should probably be going," Archie said slowly, hoping to divert uncomfortable conversation.

"Right," Regina sighed, moving to stand in front of the portal.

"Wait!" Emma yelled suddenly. All eyes turned to look at her in concern, causing the blonde to blush further. "Oh, I just- uh." Emma looked up and took Regina's face between her palms, crashing their lips together almost desperately. Conscious of their audience, the kiss didn't go beyond the simple movements of lips, but it conveyed the message purely enough, and both were breathless when they finally pulled away.

"I just wanted to do that one more time before we get tossed into this crazy place," Emma explained, still holding Regina close.

The brunette melted into her hold, wishing she didn't have to let go and go on this trip where moments like this would be sparse, if at all. "I love you," Regina murmured into Emma's ear.

"I love you too, beautiful."

"Guys, come on, Grandma and Grandpa and Ruby and… well, everyone is waiting!" Henry whined, nearly jumping up and down as if he was prepared to just run through the portal without them. The adults laughed at his excitement, although Regina reached out a hand to carefully hold him in place, just in case he did try anything.

"All right, dear." Regina smiled down at her son, grabbing his hand tightly in her own. "Now, we have to hold hands, otherwise some of us could end up going in separate directions. Then I can guide us through." Cora grabbed Henry's other hand, knowing she could probably find her way through her daughter's spells if the boy somehow did let go—with his track record it was a big possibility. Emma and Regina clung to each other with Archie handing on at the blonde's other side.

"Ready?" Regina asked. Upon receiving four definitive nods, she yanked the group forward with her as she jumped through the portal.

In a moment, the group was immersed in a purple light that pulled and pushed them in every which way as the clump ebbed through the puzzling maze. Regina had to fight the urge to close her eyes from the dizzying experience, but she needed all her concentration on the task at hand. She had been through similar portals before, but after almost thirty years without one, the feeling was less than welcoming to return to.

The brunette could feel her power being yanked in different directions as she concentrated on their desired exit. The enchantments were literally draining to her, sucking the energy right from within her as a means of power, and with five people it only required more.

Finally, when Regina was sure she could no longer spend another moment with the spinning effects, they were all immersed in a blindingly bright light. As it faded, the trees around them were slowly revealed, and Regina realized they had made it to the Enchanted Forest in one piece.

"Cool!" Henry exclaimed as if he hadn't even been fazed by the travel. Regina, on the other hand, was swaying on her feet from the draining experience, and felt as if the world was about to slip from her grip.

"Regina, are you okay?" Emma asked as her strong arms quickly caught the limp woman.

"Fine," Regina managed to say. Being in the highly magical forest, Regina could feel her strength returning to her at twice the normal speed, and she was soon able to keep her eyes open and even out her breathing.

Unfortunately for the mayor, she hadn't yet regained enough energy to withstand the force of Emma quickly pulling away from her with a sharp squeak. With her support system all but ripped from her, Regina soon found herself crashing into the ground with a resounding "Oof!"

The cause of the quick departure was, of course, the cause of a lot of similar departures in Regina's life—Snow White. "Emma!" the bubbly voice rang, and within seconds the woman was right there with them, throwing her arms around a slightly terrified Emma.

"Snow!" she said back, nervously reaching her arms to hug the woman in return. Regina had to bite back a laugh at the woman's clear discomfort with the situation, which was quite difficult given her current situation and desire to take revenge on her girlfriend for dumping her on the ground so suddenly.

It seemed that Snow had chosen to stick with her short Storybrooke hairstyle here, though her clothes were back to being primarily white leather to no surprise. The former queen couldn't resist slightly smirking in satisfaction that her hairstyle had won over the girl's previous long and unruly look.

"My messenger came and told me the moment we could see the portal being activated. I was supposed to wait over at our castle with everyone, but it's only a ten minute walk and I just couldn't stand to wait any longer," Snow explained before going in for hugging round two.

"It's, uh, good to see you," Emma said nervously, and despite the current pain in her rear from smacking the ground, Regina felt a pang of sympathy for the blonde. As unlikely as it seemed, she realized, her own relationship with her mother was currently better than Emma's with Snow.

"Grandma!" Henry chirped from beside them all, gathering Snow's attention, much to Emma's relief.

"Henry," she said warmly as she bent over to wrap her arms tightly around her grandson, who had grown considerably in the past year. She then looked up to her old friend who had stepped up to say his greetings as well.

"Oh, Archie, it is so good to see you, old friend," she spoke, pulling him in for a hug as well, which was happily returned.

"Is that really where you live?" Henry asked excitedly, pointing to the castle they could all see towering above the trees.

"It sure is," she smiled kindly. "And you know, Henry, you have your own room there too."

"I do?" He smiled widely.

"Of course. Both you and Emma do. You know you're always welcome here," she said, looking pointedly at her daughter, who only could manage a forced smile in response.

An almost awkward silence followed, for the year of separation had left them all vastly unprepared for this reunion, despite how much most of them had wanted it.

A ragged cough could be heard from off to the side, bringing both Snow and Emma's attention back to Regina.

"Oh, you're here too," Snow said blandly, as if noticing the mother and daughter for the first time, completely ignoring Regina's current state.

Regina could only cough again in response, feeling a though she was almost strong enough to stand once more. Her mother had tried to help her up during the awkward family reunion, but she figured the small rest the ground would allow would be better, seeing as the only arms she really wanted to be in were Emma's.

"Snow!" Cora exclaimed, quickly bounding towards the woman and wrapping her in a tight hug, causing the shorter woman to stiffen dramatically. She, of course, was only doing it for her own amusement, but the look of surprise and slight disgust on Snow's face had Regina's mood quickly brightening.

Emma, for her part, could only stand looking on at the scene in shock, just waiting for Cora to try blasting her mother into oblivion or something. A small groan finally broke her gaze for a moment, and she glanced over to see Regina trying to stand. Eyes shifting back and forth between her hugging mother and partner in crime and her injured girlfriend, Emma finally decided to move towards the later. Just because they were pretending not to be together, she did not feel she had to act like a complete ass to the brunette.

"Are you okay?" Emma asked, slowly reaching no more than a hand out to help Regina steady herself. Despite the entirely restrained contact, Snow's eyes widened almost comically at the sight, causing Cora to stifle her laughter as she finally removed herself from the hug.

Henry, in his innocence, apparently noticed nothing out of the ordinary happening, so he moved to stand between his grandmothers and grasped one of their hands in each of his, almost knocking Snow off her own feet in surprise.

"What is she doing here?" Snow asked sharply, directing her glare at the now standing mayor.

"She, well, you see…" Emma stumbled through her words.

"I wasn't about to let my son travel to a different world without me, Snow. Besides, they needed me to bypass the safety precautions in the portal," Regina supplied, relieving Emma to no extent.

Snow seemed satisfied with the answer, despite the weary glances she kept shooting everywhere. Archie seemed keen on staying off to the side while the family discussion was held, pretending to be far more interested in the chirping of a little cricket in the distance.

"Well, I suppose we should head home. I'm sure everyone is just as excited to see you all," Snow said, having to force herself to grind out the word "all."

Henry eagerly pulled both his grandmothers along in the direction of the castle, since the path was clear enough for the young boy to figure out. Emma looked at Regina with concern once her mother's attention was on the chattering kid, but the brunette simply moved away and allowed Archie to help her steady herself as she walked on, leaving Emma behind with the realization that this was only the beginning of how the rest of this trip was going to go.

Once they were back at the castle, the group once again found themselves being warmly received in an abundance of hugs and greetings. Even Regina was given a small, yet well-meaning hug from Red, who wanted to know all about what was going on in the town. Cora smirked before greeting Charming in the same fashion as she had with Snow, causing the man to drop his sword in surprise. This was just too easy.

"Can I see my room, Grandma?" Henry asked, looking like it was Christmas morning. Regina had to muse to herself that, to him, this probably was. Out of the whole group traveling, he was the only one to have never been to the Enchanted Forest, and now he was also going to get the royal treatment. She thought to herself that perhaps Emma would have appreciated the land better had that been her real first impression as well.

"Sure you can, Henry. I'm sure you all want to unload your things… assuming you have any." Snow looked at the group, puzzled by the lack of luggage. A slight panic seemed to cross her features when she couldn't locate a single item besides Archie's umbrella. "You are planning on staying a few days, aren't you?"

"Oh!" Emma seemed to finally piece together the woman's confusion and pulled the tiny suitcase out from her pocket. "Cora made them travel-sized," she explained, causing the mentioned woman to beam in pride at her work, as always.

"I see," Snow said, looking hesitantly to the older woman with a forced smile, "how nice of her."

"They'll grow back to normal when you open them," she explained.

"Right well, let me show you to your rooms then. Emma and Henry, you'll be in the West wing this way, and I've put Archie in a guest room not too far down the hallway. Is that all right?" Snow asked, looking at her friend for reassurance.

"Of course, Snow. I suppose I can't very well just sleep in the garden anymore, can I?" he joked, referring to his former cricket self.

With two left standing and no instructions given as to where they would be staying, Emma finally spoke up. "What about Regina and Cora?"

Snow looked thoughtfully at Regina for a moment, and the woman had to wonder if Snow was contemplating whether or not she could simply store her in the dungeons for the rest of the visit. Of course, she ultimately must have decided not to risk it with her daughter and grandson there, but Regina knew that would have likely been a very real possibility had they not been.

"Regina, your old quarters are still intact," Snow spoke hesitantly. "You and your mother can stay there. I trust you can still find your way?"

Regina smirked sarcastically, knowing full well that this arrangement would place her clear on the other end of the castle. At the time, she had enjoyed her bit of privacy from the main living areas, but now it only seemed to mean she had to be further away from Emma. Sleeping in different rooms had been a given, but this would certainly make any secret late-night visits a bit trickier.

"Yes, I imagine it is difficult to forget the path to one's own personal hell," Regina bit out, hoping Snow felt the intentional sting of her words. She caught Emma's warning glare out of the corner of her eyes, but nothing could deter the woman from using the one bit of power she could still retain. Nothing could ever make up for the nights of pain Regina had endured while fulfilling her wifely duties to the king, and she rather wished she didn't have to go back there now, but it seemed Snow was keen on keeping her there anyways. Emma was too ignorant about Regina's past to know any better.

"Wonderful!" Snow chirped, choosing to ignore the bitter tone.

"So, how about we get you all settled in, then reconvene for lunch. I know everyone has a lot of questions about what's been going on—in both worlds—but perhaps it won't hurt to allow everyone to breathe for a moment," Charming intercepted, trying to deal with the numerous flying tensions in the room.

"Okay, bye Mom, bye Grammy, see you at lunch!" Henry called, quickly hugging the two women before taking off after Snow, Emma trudging along behind more than reluctantly.

"I'll see you later, Henry, bye Sw—Swan," Regina said, catching herself last minute before the "sweetheart" could slip past her lips.

"Hey, wait, I'll catch up. You guys go on ahead," Emma spoke suddenly, averting her gaze back to her girlfriend. They were just far enough away to be out of hearing distance.

"What, why?" Snow asked, knitting her brow in confusion.

Emma realized too late that she didn't really know how to explain to her mother that she wanted a moment alone to check on her girlfriend. "I, uh, just want to make sure Regina's okay. It really took a lot out of her to get us here," Emma answered, somewhat honestly. "For Henry."

Both women looked over at the exhausted brunette who, despite being now able to walk on her own, clearly was still quite drained from the journey through the portal.

Snow smiled, laying a hand on her daughter's forearm, as if afraid to lose contact again. "Oh, Emma, you're too kind for your own good."

"Yeah, something like that," Emma muttered, really just wanting to be left alone and already feeling guilty about how she'd been treating Regina.

"All right, Emma. Just follow this hallway to the end and go up two floors when you're done," Snow instructed. I'm afraid Henry will burst if we make him wait any longer." She chuckled.

"Regina!" Emma yelled, jogging in the opposite direction to catch up with the slow-paced woman. It didn't take long to close the distance, but by then Snow and the others were all out of sight.

"Hey, are you okay?" she asked, taking a risk and gently pulling Regina's face up by the chin so she could take a look at her.

"I'll be all right, Miss Swan," Regina answered quietly, refusing to meet her lover's eyes despite the hold.

"Miss Swan?" Emma asked, exasperated. "C'mon, babe. I know this sucks, but it was your idea," Emma reminded.

"I know," Regina sighed. "It's just harder than I thought it was going to be, and this place has so many memories with it. I'll be fine." She leaned her head forward against Emma's shoulder and breathed in the comforting scent deeply.

"Promise?" Emma asked with a small smile, soaking in the feel of Regina in her arms and considering just not letting go.

"I promise," Regina giggled. They stayed that way for a few more moments before the sound of a throat clearing pulled them back to reality.

"Not to break apart this touching moment, but Emma's family is going to start wondering where she is, dear," Cora said as she placed a comforting hand on her daughter's shoulder.

"We're Emma's family," Regina argued, but knew her mother was right.

Emma sighed. "Yes, you two are my family, but so are Snow and Charming, so your mother's right. I do need to go." Emma glanced around to make sure they weren't being watched before placing a chaste kiss on Regina's lips. She only moved back a few inches, leaving them close enough that their breaths still mixed and warmed each other's faces. "See you at lunch, okay? Love you."

"Love you, too" Regina kissed her once more before fully pulling back. "Now go!"

"Yes, Madame Mayor!" Emma joked, heading off in the other direction to find her parents.

Regina turned to her mother with a tired smile. "Shall we?"

SQSQSQSQSQ

Several hours later, the group had been reunited at lunch in one of the castle's many elegant dining rooms. Dinner was going to be an extravagant event, complete with what seemed like half the old Storybrooke town, but Snow and Charming had opted to keep lunch a private affair, much to the relief of the travelers.

Even with the small group around the table, Regina still felt that she was much too far from Emma, who had found herself sandwiched between her eager parents. Henry and his grandfather were readily discussing the ogre war in details that were probably not quite appropriate for during a meal, but no one seemed willing to break up their excitement. Snow was hearing about the state of the town from Archie and Cora, and even Regina had filled in a few of the details of the more specific aspects. She had to admit that she did enjoy hearing about some of the enchanted forest politics from Snow.

Emma, on the other hand, had remained strangely quiet, though Regina just assumed she didn't know how to make conversation with the people who were so desperate to be her parents. After a while, though, Regina was beginning to grow concerned. She chanced another glance in Emma's direction and noticed the blonde looked a bit too green.

"Emma?" Regina asked lightly in concern, inadvertently drawing everyone else's attention to the blonde.

"Ma, you look really green," Henry announced, looking over at his blonde mother for the first time since they'd sat down.

Before she could even get a word in, Emma had a hand clamped over her mouth and was making a beeline from the table to the nearby gardens outside.

Regina felt the desperate pull to follow after her love and make sure she was all right, but the silent hand of her mother on her arm held her back. Right, people who are only acquaintances because they share a son aren't supposed to be that concerned.


	3. The Lies We Weave

The Birdcage

Disclaimer: I do not own Once or ABC or any of the following characters. My curse to take over is still in the developmental stages, unfortunately. I also don't own La Cage Aux Folles, as much as I love Albin.

Author's Notes: That you all so much for the wonderful response! I even got my update in a day early, so I am feeling very pumped about this story. Some of you have guessed things about this story, which makes me so thrilled that you're putting so much thought into it. I also feel the need to point out that, while this is loosely based on La Cage Aux Folles, it obviously has completely taken off in a hundred different directions, as that was more the source of the idea. Thank you all again, and I cannot wait to hear what you think of this installment.

* * *

Chapter Three: The Lies We Weave

Emma was sitting on the ground, leaning against a low brick wall when Snow showed up to check on her. She had just been sick in the bushes, though not for reasons she was sure her mother was going to suspect.

"Emma, are you all right?" Snow asked in concern, crouching down by her daughter's side.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Emma said, trying to brush it off as she stood, her stomach much calmer now. "You didn't have to follow me out here, you know," she added a bit too harshly, causing Snow's face to fall considerably.

"I'm sorry; I didn't mean to snap like that."

"No, it's okay, really, Emma," Snow spoke gently, placing an arm on her daughter's shoulder. "I know you aren't used to this, even I'm not, and time has long passed for me to be your mother in the most traditional sense, but sometimes it still feels like there are moments when I should get to be."

"I get that," Emma sighed, "and I'll try to be a little more... open to it. Just don't expect a complete turnaround, all right?"

Snow smiled warmly, pulling her daughter in for an impromptu hug, sneakily reaching up to feel Emma's forehead.

"I'm not sick," Emma groaned, already regretting promising to try to behave more like a daughter.

"Emma, you just ran out of the room green as the forest, and the little bit of vomit stuck to the tip of your hair tells me otherwise."

"Shit," Emma said, immediately looking down for the source of the disgusting giveaway.

"Come on. I can call a doctor, it's no big deal," Snow pressed, trying to pull Emma along behind her to head back inside.

"No, really, I'm not sick. Maybe it's just uh... something I ate. I feel fine." Emma plastered on a smile, but Snow wasn't buying it.

"Please just oblige me and let Doc take a look at you," she begged.

Emma sighed deeply, knowing if she didn't say something now, this would only become an even more distressing issue. Maybe if she just told Snow it could stay contained for the time being. Looking around, she walked over to the wall she'd been leaning against, this time sitting on top of it and patting the space next to her.

Snow looked on hesitantly before realizing the invitation and joining her daughter, just happy that she was getting something out of this.

"You don't need to call a doctor because I already know why I was just sick. I've been doing that a lot lately, actually," Emma began, bracing herself for whatever kind of reaction she was surely about to receive.

"Are you okay?" Snow asked, immediately concerned about her daughter's well-being as she turned and placed a caring hand on Emma's.

"Yeah, I am. I'm great actually. It's just that I'm, well," Emma stumbled through her words, not sure she would even be able to get it out and partially hoping Snow would just guess it already so she wouldn't have to say it. Unfortunately, they just weren't that in sync with each other, so Snow's concerned expression remained plastered across her face, just waiting for something to grasp to.

Emma took a deep, steadying breath, bracing herself to finally just put it out there. Besides, the worst that could happen was that her mother went off on a murderous rampage towards Regina, and she highly doubted that either the brunette or her equally powerful mother would let any harm come.

"I'm pregnant, mom," Emma finally blurted out, even surprising herself with the untested term for the other woman on her lips.

Snow's jaw dropped almost comically, eyes widening as her hand immediately shot out towards Emma's stomach in wonder.

"How far?" she squeaked out.

"About two months," Emma answered as calmly as she could, still waiting for the big reaction of horror from the other woman.

"A baby," Snow breathed, still just staring at Emma's not yet showing stomach with her fingers outstretched.

"Yup." Emma didn't know what else to do or say. She felt helpless as she sat there with Snow just looking at her like she was a prize, still waiting for some sort of horrid reaction that would have her back in her room and packing just to end this reunion trip.

"Oh, Emma!" she finally exclaimed, pulling her daughter into her arms with a joyous hug, "This is so wonderful!"

Emma laughed, smiling brightly as she realized that her mother wasn't mad; that she was actually beyond thrilled for her. It felt good not to have to keep this part of her life a secret from the woman any longer. Even if they weren't very close, she still wanted something more between them, and this felt like a good starting point. Emma's mind began reeling through all the potential pregnancy tips that she could get from her mother, since she'd had no one to get advice from the first time besides a few overly friendly inmates who probably had all left their children behind in the system as well.

Emma was ripped from her fantasy, however, when Snow suddenly pulled back and looked at her with that same puzzled expression again.

"Don't take this the wrong way, Emma. I'm so glad that you're having a baby, but you know that it takes two people for that to happen and well..."

"You're wondering who that other person is?" Emma guessed, her happy moment already falling to the sidewalk with a loud splat.

"Precisely," Snow said.

"Well, uh, you see..." This was the hard part of the conversation that Emma didn't want to get into. Sure, Snow was fine with the prospect of a new baby, but she probably wouldn't be so keen on the idea once she realized just whose DNA that baby possessed.

Emma herself had been surprised on the morning she discovered she was pregnant, as she had not slept with anyone but Regina in close to a year. There was no way the kid just popped in there, but there was also no way she had gotten knocked up by some guy. In a panic, she had blurted the entire thing out to Regina on one fateful movie night after having a bit too much sugar for her own good.

~flashback~

_Regina and Emma were curled up on the couch together one Friday evening, as Henry was at a sleepover with some new friends and Cora was out on yet another in a long string of "dates" which had lately earned her the title Queen of One Night Stands from Emma. Both women were just glad to have the house to themselves for the night, and Emma could tell Regina was just waiting for the movie playing out in front of them to end so she could take things up to the bedroom._

_The blonde, however, was on a completely different page from her older counterpart, instead just focusing on not fidgeting in her seat too much to draw any attention. Regina kept watching her with piercingly hungry eyes, though, and Emma was certain that if she didn't stop she would simply combust from stress. For the first time she could even remember, Emma was not exactly in the mood to have sex, even with her gorgeous girlfriend._

_The reason for this was not that she had hit her head or completely lost it, despite what any sensible person would think was necessary to occur for someone to actually not be turned on in Regina's presence. No, Emma's mind was simply far too cluttered with one blaring problem that was using all her energy just to stay contained._

_Regina's hand snaked its way onto Emma's lap and began massaging its way closer to the waistband of her pants as the movie got closer to the end, but Emma was afraid that if she even so much as opened her mouth, the words would spill right out like an overflowing pothole in a rainstorm._

_By the time Regina's full attention had been moved from the movie to Emma, the blonde was certain that she wasn't going to make it much longer. She didn't feel that she could even so much as risk moving, but her mischievous lover was only mistaking her attitude for a teasing challenge._

_Just as Regina was leaning in close enough that her steamy breath could be felt on Emma's lips, as if she was going to kiss her right over a delicate edge, Emma's mouth opened to blurt out the only two words that had been practically trying to saw her lips open for the past several hours._

_"I'm late."_

_"Pardon?" Regina asked, pulling back with an amused look on her face, as if she hadn't quite gotten it yet._

_"I'm late, Regina. You know..." Emma didn't really want to have to say it._

_"I'm afraid I don't understand dear. Did you have to be somewhere tonight?" With an eyebrow raised and her forehead scrunched up, Regina looked utterly adorable. Unfortunately for Emma, the adorable woman was completely serious._

_"My period, Regina." Emma groaned, bringing a hand up to roughly smooth the hair out of her face. "I'm two weeks late."_

_"Oh," Regina said in surprise, staring at Emma, then down to her stomach, then back up- expression entirely unreadable._

_"I took a test this morning and it said that I'm... I mean, how is that even possible?" Emma asked, practically begging for the other woman to tell her this was all in her head or make up some equally ridiculous reasoning that she could cling to. Anything else, really._

_Regina said nothing, just stared at Emma with her eyes quickly filling with tears._

_"Please say something," Emma begged, getting more terrified of Regina's reaction by the second. She had been keeping her magic under control lately, but setting the woman off was always a risky move._

_Regina finally shook from her daze, clearing her throat roughly before looking to the side. "Well, I imagine you would have had to," she gulped, unable to even get the words out. "Dammit, Emma! Who is he?" Regina suddenly yelled, standing up quickly as if being remotely close to the blonde would burn her skin._

_"Who is who?" Emma asked, just as confused. Then it hit her, and she realized Regina thought there had to be a father too. At this, Emma felt her own eyes watering over in frustration. "Regina, I would never cheat on you."_

_The older woman just tearfully shook her head, as if not wanting to even hear whatever Emma had to say about this. "Then please explain to me how my girlfriend is pregnant!"_

_"I don't know!" Emma yelled back, standing up and moving towards Regina. "I don't know," she repeated, sounding almost defeated. Regina seemed hesitant, but ultimately allowed her love to fall into her arms in a heaping mess, ignoring her own tears that were still streaming down her face._

_"I was hoping you could tell me how this is possible," Emma said softly, once her crying had calmed down enough. "I never touched anyone but you, Regina."_

_"I believe you," the brunette sighed. "But Emma, there has to be some sort of explanation for this. Maybe the test was just wrong or," she was grasping at straws now._

_"Yeah, maybe all five tests were wrong," Emma added almost too quietly to be heard. Regina did hear her, though, and she groaned loudly at this bit of information._

_"Well then there has to be something..." Suddenly Regina paused, a light bulb going off in her head. "Oh."_

_"What?" Emma asked, trying to read her girlfriend's expression of... wonder?_

_Regina looked at Emma with wide eyes, glancing rapidly back and forth between the blonde and herself. "Oh my."_

_"What?" Emma tried again, growing more frantic with each second._

_Regina simply moved over towards the couch again, looking like she just might feint. Emma joined her, still desperate for the woman to explain this to her if she ever passed through her own shock._

_"Regina?" she tried softly._

_The brunette met her eyes and took a deep breath, preparing herself for her own shocking news. "Two woman having a baby together in the Enchanted Forest is not... completely unheard of," she began. "It's possible for one to get pregnant from the other, when certain conditions are met."_

_"Certain conditions? Like what?"_

_"Uhm, well," Regina stumbled, an act Emma had never even imagined the eloquent brunette was capable of. "True love," she whispered._

_"True love?" Emma repeated, wondering if her ears would hear something different now._

_Regina nodded, sighing as she rubbed a tired hand across her pained forehead._

_"So, let me get this straight. I am pregnant because I had sex with you, a woman who just happens to be my true love, which apparently means we can make magic babies together."_

_"Basically," Regina agreed, looking at Emma sadly. "I'm sorry, I just always assumed that Daniel was my only true love and so it never even occurred to me that this could happen."_

_Emma smiled suddenly, beamed actually, as she pulled Regina closer and enclosed her lips tenderly over the other woman's, placing kisses across her lips and eventually moving up her cheeks until she had kissed over every dried tear._

_"We're having a baby," she spoke with a wicked grin._

_"You're okay with this?" Regina asked in surprise._

_"Of course I am, baby," Emma smiled impossibly brighter. "I can't think of anything more wonderful than having a baby with you."_

_They clung to each other, finally allowing themselves to feel joy over the certainly unexpected addition that would be joining them in only a few months._

_"I have one more question, though," Emma said suddenly, breaking the silence that had been filled with happy tears._

_"Yes, dear?" Regina asked, not even bothering to pull away from the comforting embrace._

"_Why am I the pregnant one?"_

_A moment of silence followed, and just as Emma was about to press further, Regina finally spoke up. "That… is a question for another day."_

~End Flashback~

Emma sighed, pulling herself from her thoughts as she realized her mother was still expecting an answer. "Once everyone was back in the Enchanted Forest, those of us who stayed behind in Storybrooke to try and rebuild the town got a lot closer, naturally. It seemed that we were all capable of putting our differences aside and that led to everyone getting to know each other on a better level and..." Emma paused, taking a deep breath. "I ended up falling in love, with the last person I ever thought I would. But then it just seemed so fitting that we would end up together like that..."

Snow looked at her daughter funnily for a moment before her face lit up brightly and a smile broke out. "Oh Emma, I think it is wonderful!" She hugged her nervous daughter. "And I know exactly who you're talking about."

"You do?" Emma raised an eyebrow in surprise.

Snow nodded eagerly. "I am very happy that you and Archie have found love with each other."

"Archie?" That certainly hadn't been the answer she was expecting, but it did explain the lack of a horror-stricken Snow White.

"Mhmm," the brunette sighed contently. "I think it makes perfect sense, seeing as you're from the same world and he's always been so good with Henry. I just don't see why you were so afraid of telling me, Archie has been a dear friend for years."

Emma was doing all she could to keep her jaw from falling open, plastering yet another fake smile onto her face. "Uh, right, because Archie is the one," she stumbled out.

"I'm just glad that you picked someone who can understand all you've been going through, Emma. I know it has been hard on you, even though you won't say so. I realize that you've needed time to process all of this, and as much as it has been killing me to be separated from you again, I understood why you needed that space. I hoped the whole time that you would find comfort in someone over there, and it seems my wishes were answered," Snow said tearfully, daring to reach out a hand to cup her now teary daughter's cheek.

"I'm sorry, Mom," Emma confessed, feeling the emotional weight of the moment crushing down on her.

Snow quickly pulled her daughter into a tight embrace, clueless to the real root of her daughter's turmoil but recognizing the desperate need for comfort nonetheless. "Oh, Emma, it's okay. I'm just happy that Archie and you are going to be starting a family and that we're together right now."

Emma cringed, knowing deep down that this was very wrong and very messed up. That little voice, this time not a certain cricket, was telling her that she needed to tell her mother the truth. But then there was the way that Snow was hugging her, filled with so much pride for her daughter, that made Emma absolutely terrified. She did not want to lose that feeling; not now that she knew what it felt like.

"Right, yeah, because I'm having a baby with Archie!" Emma cried, playing along just so she could have those few extra seconds in her mother's arms that she'd been trying to resist ever since the curse had broken.

It wasn't her fault that the little girl inside was still screaming to know how it would feel, and now that she had felt it- her mother's actual embrace- Emma was certain it would be much harder to resist in the future. Snow had broken through the wall and was now left with a little piece of Emma Swan's protective armor.

Unfortunately, it was at that exact moment that Regina chose to wander out in search of her girlfriend. After spending as long as she possibly could fidgeting at the table in worry, she had shot her mother a desperate look and excused herself to come see what was wrong. Of course, of all the things she expected to find, walking in to hear the love of her life lying about their child to her mother was not even remotely on the list.

Regina could tolerate that Emma didn't want to expose her parents to any new information while they were still trying to get to know each other in these awkward new stages—it was partially her fault that they had been apart for so long anyways—but this was an all time low. This was their baby, the most precious thing Regina had ever created. She felt as if she had finally done something right and pure, and now she wasn't even being credited for it. Had Emma really just said that she was having a baby with Archie?

Regina just stared at the tearfully hugging pair, wondering if this was some cruel twist of fate; make her fall madly in love with the insufferable woman, so in love that they now had a little magical baby growing, and then when her guards were finally down, plunge the knife right in.

It was definitely the strategy of a Charming, she just never imagined it would come from Emma. Perhaps there was some truth to nature over nurture.

"What?" Regina asked fearfully, not sure if she even wanted any sort of response at this point.

The heads of both Emma and Snow shot in her direction, two very different expressions taking over their faces. Snow appeared to be quite miffed by the timing of her entrance, apparently meaning she'd interrupted some sort of fluffy bonding moment that the woman had been about ready to kill for. The look would have made many shake in their boots, but Regina just let it slide right off like a raindrop.

Emma, on the other hand, had a look of complete panic on her face, that classic "oh shit" look that Regina had seen on the blonde one too many times. It appeared there when she broke something or when she was caught teaching Henry something that she hadn't wanted her son to know, and now it seemed to be there because Emma Swan realized once more that she had been caught in something far too large to swallow.

"Regina, I..." Emma looked at her with wide eyes, stumbling for any words to make their way out.

"Regina, can we help you?" Snow bit out, clearly unhappy with the woman's intrusion.

Though, had Snow been told the truth, it would have been clear how Regina wasn't there as some sort of intrusion. She wasn't trying to split up a moment between mother and daughter or keep them apart any longer. Regina was simply there because she loved Emma, and watching her run off like that had left something burning a hole in the pit of her stomach that wouldn't ease up until she had laid her own eyes on the blonde and checked her well being.

Now, Regina was beginning to wish she had listened to her mother.

Regina said nothing, not knowing what lies Emma had told to her mother exactly, besides the tail end of the conversation about Archie being the father of their child, which had been more than enough to crush Regina's heart.

"I was just telling Snow... my mother... about the baby, since she wondered why I was getting sick in the garden, and she figured out how Archie and I are in love," Emma explained nervously, looking to Regina from over her mother's shoulder with pleading eyes.

Regina sighed, knowing that look was one she simply could not resist on Emma Swan. It was the same look her son gave her when he wanted to go play outside after she'd already grounded him, and it usually worked.

"Oh, of course," Regina replied quietly, desperately trying to steel her features to keep the tears from building up. She told herself that this shouldn't hurt so badly, that the rouse had been her idea, but the sound of Emma claiming a father to their child to her own mother was the worst kind of wound Regina had ever experienced.

After all, she'd gone through a similar situation with Henry. She had been his one and only mother for ten years of his life, and then suddenly the blonde had rolled into town and taken her place.

While they both shared Henry now, allowing the other to be an equal in terms of motherhood, there had been a time where Emma insisted that he was her son. Where Snow had smugly informed Regina that Emma did not have to run things by her; that her opinion in regards to the boy she had raised from three weeks old did not matter one bit.

This time around was supposed to be different. This child was theirs equally in the biological sense as well, and Regina would be damned if she was going to let anyone take that joy away from her. There had been nothing Regina wanted in her life more than a child that could love her back, and while Henry was still her son in the deepest way, there was something about knowing that her DNA could remain in a small little bundle so innocent that was intoxicating to the woman. She could not let them take that feeling away from her; not when it gave her so much hope that she could overcome the darkness for good as well.

As much as she wanted to scream to Snow and the rest of the world that the perfect little nugget growing in Emma was hers, she knew from that look still stretched across Emma's face that she couldn't. She couldn't bear to hurt her love like that. So, Regina simply nodded as she remained rooted in her place, unsure what her next move should be.

"She knew?" Snow's voice interrupted Regina's thoughts.

"What?" Emma asked, looking fearfully at the sharpness to the older woman's voice.

"Regina already knew about the baby?" Snow asked, looking between the two women with what could almost be described as hurt.

Emma looked on in fear, her mouth hanging open but no words coming out. It was the unspoken second half to Snow's question that still hung in their air. _"Regina knew before me?" _Of course she wouldn't understand without knowing the true story.

"Henry told me," Regina answered dryly, speaking to Snow but clearly looking at Emma while she spoke, portraying her hurt to the younger woman. Snow didn't notice, either because of her own selfish and careless attitude towards Regina, or because she simply chose not to.

"Things back home have changed," Regina went on, "and it was only natural that I would find out, being around them so often and all." The mayoral smile was now plastered fully across her face.

Snow nodded, seeming to have begrudgingly accepted this response, despite the fact that she still had known after her "arch-enemy."

"Right, so, why were you here again?" Snow asked, looking at Regina expectantly, clearly having not been distracted like the pair had hoped.

Regina cleared her throat, looking anywhere but at Emma for the moment. "I just wanted some fresh air," she lied, turning stoically on her feet and whisking back into the castle. Normally this was the walk of the Evil Queen's determination, and at the moment it seemed fitting, for Regina was absolutely determined to make it back to her chambers before allowing the tears to consume her.

* * *

_For those who commented saying that they wanted Regina to be the pregnant one, I completely agree with you all! There is nothing I would love to see more than my baby getting a baby of her own. For the purposes of this story, however, it had to be Emma._


	4. Tossing the Stone

The Birdcage

Author's Note: I know I promised some of you on Tumblr an update on Thurs, but I got to the point where I had to be getting up in three hours to catch my flight and I still wasn't satisfied with the results of this chapter, so I've been working on it as much as I can. I hope you like this chapter, I have mixed feelings about it. Also, I LOVE YOU ALL THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL YOUR FEEDBACK SINCE I CAN'T HUG YOU ALL JUST TREAT YOURSELVES TO FIVE EXTRA MINUTES OF THINKING ABOUT LANA'S BOOBS. 3

* * *

Chapter 4: Tossing the Stone

Cora was sitting in the room she and Regina would be sharing for the remainder of their stay, subtly fixing things with a little magic here and there that she thought could look better. Regina wouldn't mind. It was only small differences, like the color of the trim on a mirror, at first, but eventually she had taken to deciding the room needed a complete makeover. The whole place just reflected both of their pasts too much, and she knew her daughter didn't need to be seeing that now.

Just the realization of her reasoning was enough to give Cora pause as she once again realized with slight alarm that she really was changing.

Before it would have still been for Regina, everything she had done those years had been for Regina, but then it would have been because she thought Regina deserved better. The idea that the room might be painful for her wouldn't have even crossed her mind, but now, as she was completely changing the long-since used bed, Cora realized her good intentions and wondered why it had taken her so long to truly understand that feeling.

Of course, her deal with Rumpel had played a role in their relationship as well. In Storybrooke, as much of the others had, she'd discovered her own story in one of those Grimm fairytale books. It had been surprisingly accurate with the betrayal of her father who lied and gave her over to the king with an impossible task of spinning gold from straw. It even mentioned how Rumpel had helped her and tricked her in to giving away her first born child.

However, unlike in the storybook version where happy endings must come true, she did not have the opportunity to make deal with him of something so silly as to guess his name. Reading that, Cora had scoffed at the absurdity. All she'd been able to bargain with him for was the ability to at least raise her child, at a hefty price as he would always still own the girl and be in control of her life, but at the time it had seemed like the right choice.

He had made her well aware of Regina's destiny, but her own cowardice kept her from trying to go against the impish man.

Just as she was putting the finishing touches on a few new throw pillows, the door to the room was thrown upon. Cora turned quickly from her work to eye the intruder, surprised to see her own daughter standing there, looking the equivalent of a kicked puppy.

"What's wrong?" Cora asked, standing defensively at her daughter's side in a moment, ready to go and zap whoever had crushed her child to such a broken mess into an ant, which she would then step on.

Several times.

There was the definite possibility that a fireball or two would be involved too.

Cora may have changed her ways with Regina, but the woman was no saint, after all. She'd always wanted to protect her daughter, nothing more, and at the time all she'd seen was the good in her actions, not the ugly side that was hurting the young and innocent girl. Cora knew she had been selfish in her desire for Regina to marry the king, but then it had seemed like her daughter was ungrateful for not wanting such a wonderful life.

It wasn't until even after the battle against the Dark One that Cora finally understood; that she had many talks with her daughter and learned the other side to the story that her own petty desire had blinded her from seeing.

Now, Cora was set on being the mother she never was, and while Regina was still hesitant to accept anything from the woman, the fact that she was standing before her tearfully was enough of a confirmation to the older woman that her daughter was finally willing to accept a little of that help Cora was always trying to give her. Before, Regina would have put her mother at the end of her list, but now she was winning, which was a bit disconcerting when Cora realized who should have been ahead of her. Something bad with Emma had certainly happened, she'd bet her life on it.

Regina's lower lip was steadily quivering, and all Cora could do was flail her arms about helplessly, unsure what would help ease her daughter in this moment. This is the part of motherhood she hadn't yet mastered. While they could get along for a day and even bond over Emma jokes and such, when it came to the emotional parts, there was nothing for Cora to go on.

She begrudgingly had to admit that she was at a loss; not even magic could help her here.

There was a time where she would have told her daughter she was being foolish, that _love is weakness_, but those weren't the words coming to Cora's mind anymore. She had never experienced a love like the one between her daughter and Emma, and there was nothing she wanted more than for them to succeed—something she'd never been able to achieve within her own life.

"What can I do?" Cora finally voiced helplessly as she just stood a few feet away and watched her daughter crumble before her eyes, shaking with the tears finally managing to spill out messily down her cheeks.

Regina looked up and met her eyes, giving her this look that she'd seen before when Regina was nothing more than a terrified little girl, and it actually hurt the woman's hardened heart. She wasn't entirely sure what it was that came over her, what maternal instinct had magically been awoken, but she didn't even need to think as her arms wrapped tightly around Regina.

The younger woman stayed rigid for only a moment before sinking into her hold and clinging on for dear life, now openly sobbing out of the company of the others.

"It... It's all right, darling," Cora whispered nervously, unsure of what she was supposed to do now. It was strange to hold her daughter like this, but it was also strangely intoxicating to feel the girl trust her enough to.

Cora made soft shushing sounds that she had picked up from observing Regina with Henry the one time he'd fallen and skinned his knee, or with Emma when she fell off the roof the first three times. The sound wasn't entirely foreign, for she'd used them before to soothe her daughter when she was nothing more than a tiny, innocent baby in the short while before everything changed.

Cora carefully maneuvered them over towards the bed, sitting them down so Regina could only curl into her embrace further, Cora hesitantly patting her on the shoulder.

"What's happened, Regina?" she asked desperately.

"Em... Emma!" Regina managed to get out between sobs. It seemed to set off another whole wave of tears from the younger woman, and Cora began to wonder how she wasn't becoming dehydrated.

"What did she do?" Cora asked, rage taking over her mind suddenly at the fact that the blonde that she had trusted with her daughter had caused this crying, blubbering mess of a girl in her arms.

Regina finally pulled away a little, calming her breathing and wiping at the tears staining her cheeks. "I heard her telling Snow that the baby was hers and Archie's. And that they were in love. That's my baby, Mother," Regina said pitifully, the tears causing her to choke on her words again.

Cora looked at the helpless girl, wishing she could do something to take away the pain. She could always remove Emma's heart, but something told her that Regina would not appreciate that repeat of history. As hard as it was to admit, the longer Cora wracked her mind, the more clear it became to her that maybe magic couldn't actually help anything in this moment.

This was certainly new.

"Regina, I... I'm sorry, I'm not very good at this," Cora confessed, now flitting her hands about with no direction as to what to even do with them.

Regina sighed, looking at her with a small smile. "Just sit with me, please," she instructed, tentatively moving back to her hugging position at Cora's side with a content hum.

"All right, darling," Cora said, smiling when Regina reached out and grabbed her hand, placing it on her shoulder so she could be held even tighter.

They sat that way for a while- Cora wasn't really keeping track of time, instead marveling over the feel of this unfamiliar experience and wondering why she had let herself keep this from happening before. Regina seemed so small in her arms, reminding her of the innocent young girl she had once been. There were so many years of missed opportunities behind them.

Eventually, Regina's breathing evened out, still slumped into the comforting hold of her mother. When Cora noticed, she carefully rearranged them and eased them both into laying position on the bed so her daughter could sleep more comfortably.

She wasn't positive about how these things typically worked, but Cora was fairly certain Regina would have to tell her more about what happened once she awoke again, and Cora planned on being right there waiting for her.

Meanwhile, on the other end of the castle, Emma was running to Archie's room to fill him in on the lies she'd just chose before her mother had the chance to get to him.

"I need your help," she spoke the moment she barged through his temporary bedroom door.

"Oh, of course, Emma, how can I help you?" Archie seemed slightly startled by her sudden appearance, but retained his calm composure as always.

Emma stood a few feet from the door once she closed it, swaying uncomfortably on her feet as she realized the complete ridiculousness about who she was about to ask to cover a lie for her.

She let out a frustrated breath, locking him in place with her pleading eyes before she'd even managed to utter a single word.

"Okay, see, Snow thought I was sick and kept going on about a doctor so I had to tell her I was pregnant. And she was so happy, we actually had a sort of moment together I think, but then she started asking me who the father was. I just got so scared because that was the closest we've ever been since the curse broke and I found out who she was, so I panicked, and well, I may have lied about who the other parent to the baby is," Emma rambled, barely stopping to breathe between her cluttered words.

"Oh, Emma, lying is not going to help your relationship with your mother. If you just tell her the truth, she will come to terms with it," Archie suggested kindly.

"I know," Emma sighed, taking a seat on the floor and leaning against the door in a very un-princess-esque manner. "You just had to have seen the pride in her face, Archie. She even thinks I've found this wonderful love, which I have, she just doesn't know the correct identity of that love."

"Who did you say it was?" Archie asked, his curiosity getting the better of him.

Emma gulped, looking guiltily at the man before shifting uncomfortably as she mumbled out a quiet, "You."

Unfortunately, the bug heard it clearly enough. "Me?!" Archie exclaimed, looking suddenly like someone had just told him he was actually fathering a child, complete with the horrified squeaking sound that followed.

"Yeah, well, technically _she_ guessed it was you, my love," Emma added bitterly with a hint of defeat. "I'm sorry, Archie, I know I'll have to set her straight, but... I just have never seen her so happy. I would have told her the truth right then, but she just gave me this out like that, and I couldn't help grabbing it."

Archie sighed, moving over to sit next to Emma on the uncomfortable floor. "Look, I understand why you did it, Emma, but what about Regina? You are going to have to fix this before she finds out; it will devastate her."

Emma looked away sheepishly, burying her already pained face in her hands. "She, uh, kind of heard me when I told Snow."

"And you didn't say anything then?" he asked, trying to keep the judgment from his voice.

"No," Emma muttered softly before slamming her head back against the door, causing a dull thud to echo throughout the room. "And Regina looked really upset too, shit!"

"Well, I would say that I'm sure she'll understand, but this is Regina we're talking about here."

"Hey!" Emma exclaimed suddenly, as if it had been her just getting insulted by the man.

"I mean no offense to her, but think about it from Regina's perspective here, Emma. She's wanted this happy family you guys have going for so long, she's even gone to some pretty extreme measures to get it, and she finally made something completely good happen with her magic. Then she walked in and heard you denying her involvement to your own mother. To Regina, that was a very low blow," Archie explained carefully.

"I hate that you're right," Emma said from behind her hands. "I need to find her and make sure she's okay."

Archie nodded, wondering why she hadn't been Emma's first stop but deciding not to question it when the woman seemed to be under enough distress as it was.

"But I still can't tell my mother," Emma suddenly added.

"What?" Archie looked over at her in disappointment.

"Not yet, at least," Emma clarified. "I promise I'll tell her before we leave, but is it really so bad for me to want a few days of having her proud of me like that?" Emma practically begged for his approval.

"So you want me to lie?" He looked uneasy at the thought.

"Just for a few days, I promise! So I can show her how Regina has changed, then maybe she won't be so mad when she finds out, right?" Emma was practically talking herself into the idea more than she was Archie, but he felt it working, nonetheless.

"Because I don't want to see you two get off on such a bad note, if Regina is okay with this, I will... not directly deny anything to Snow," Archie agreed hesitantly, feeling a bit better by the relief that quickly spread across Emma's face.

"Oh, thank you!" Emma exclaimed before thrusting her arms around the man in a hug of pure gratitude. "I promise you, this is for the best, Archie. I know you don't want her to get hurt either, otherwise you would have never agreed to this. Even your conscious has to tell you that it is always better when people don't get hurt, right?"

"Except Regina is probably very hurt right now, Emma," he reminded almost sternly, causing the blonde's face to fall again.

"Right," she groaned. "Well, I suppose I should go face the music and find her, huh?" Emma looked down at her hands as if the thought of locating her girlfriend at the moment was not even remotely near her list of most desirable situations.

"That would be the right thing to do." Archie sighed, nervously running a hand back through his short hair, clearly uncomfortable with this entire situation.

Emma stood, dusting herself off before turning to the door. "Just remember, if anyone asks, we are in love and having a baby together. There weren't a lot of details exchanged right then, but I'll let you know if any new information needs to be added to our stories."

"All right, Emma," Archie said as he watched the blonde disappear reluctantly from his doorway. He immediately sighed when she left, feeling himself overwhelmingly consumed with angst over having to tell a lie, already wondering how he was going to possibly make it through the next few days with such a painful secret.

A hesitant knocking on the door brought Regina from her fitful slumber. As her eyes adjusted blearily, she tried to remember how she'd ended up laying down in bed. Once her eyes fell upon her also sleeping mother, Regina loudly gasped, accidentally awakening the other woman.

"Wha- Oh, I must have drifted off," Cora explained as she sat herself up on the bed, stretching out alongside her daughter.

"Mother?" Regina asked in confusion.

"Yes dear?" Cora's head whipped towards her, clearly ready for some overly prepared lengthy talk that Regina was not nearly prepared for.

"Did you... stay with me all this time?" Regina questioned, brows knitted in the need to understand.

"Of course, you were a complete mess," Cora spoke sharply, rolling the deed off her shoulder. She missed Regina's flinch at her tone, but both knew she was by no means perfect at mothering of any sort, so there would be no apologizing for any offense.

"Sorry, mother," Regina spoke solemnly, head bowed down in shame.

"Sorry? For what, dear?" Cora asked incredulously as she placed a hand on her shifting daughter's arm gently.

"For being so... weak... pathetic," Regina sighed heavily.

Cora's eyes softened at the words as a pang shot through her heart, no larger than a pin but sharp enough to elicit a pained reaction. It was her fault that her child was sitting here blaming herself for something that had only happened to her, not because of her.

"Regina, I don't know exactly what took place earlier, and I do hope you will talk to me about it, but I don't want you to apologize. I realize that I've made it difficult for you to be that way around me, and I don't blame you if you're reluctant to be, but you don't have to apologize to me for being weak."

Regina nodded, letting the words sink in as she took in the sight of her mother. It was a strange sight to see Cora Mills cuddling her in bed like a little girl, with bed head up to the high heavens. Strange, but surprisingly comforting to the younger woman.

The knock sounded again before either could be bothered to continue the awkward conversation, pulling away the attention of both women to the offending sound.

"Come in," Regina called, annoyed that someone had dared to interrupt such a groundbreaking moment.

The door creaked open slowly to reveal a sheepish blonde who stood digging the toe of her worn leather boot into the ground nervously. "I think we need to talk."

Regina glared at her, fire blazing in her eyes as she stood from the bed and moved to pull Emma the rest of the way into the room, slamming the door so hard behind her that it was a wonder it remained on the hinges.

"Do we need to talk, Emma? Because it sure seemed like you wanted to avoid an awful lot of talking earlier!" Regina snapped.

Emma sighed, ruffling her blonde locks with a shaky hand. "I know what I said was wrong, but Regina, she was just so proud. And it's not like I just threw the Archie part out there; she assumed it was him," Emma explained pleadingly.

"Oh, I suppose that just makes it all fine then, doesn't it?" Regina bit back, not even allowing her hurt glare to stray for a moment.

When Emma said nothing but continued to try and look at the ground, Regina visibly fumed. "That is OUR child in there Emma Swan. I helped make that, not Archie. I gave _my_ heart to you, not Archie. This is _my_ family you are taking away from me here, and it is not okay."

Emma gulped, backing into the door with a resounding thud. "And you have every right to be mad..." Emma tried weakly.

"Oh, do I, Emma? I am so glad that I have your approval to be mad," she replied sarcastically with a heavy roll of her eyes.

"Just, please let me speak for one second!" Emma yelled desperately.

Regina opened her mouth to retort but decidedly held back, instead looking at Emma expectantly with a raised eyebrow.

Clearing her throat, Emma looked straight at Regina while she spoke. "Look, I didn't mean to hurt you Regina, I promise. You just had to have seen the look on her face when she assumed I was with Archie now... I so desperately want that to be how she reacts when she finds out it is really you, but I think we both know the likelihood of that scenario happening.

"I thought that, maybe we could take the next few days to show her how much you've changed. You know, to soften the blow? I get that you're mad and stuff, but I promise we will tell her before we leave, okay, baby?" Emma finished with her hands gently on each of Regina's upper arms, rubbing up and down in a soothing manner.

Regina sighed, putting a hand to her temple and pressing in frustration at the headache she could feel coming on, as they usually did after an argument with Emma took place.

"I understand why you did this," Regina began calmly, "and maybe this idea has some merit to it. At least she might not still think I'm out to maim you all, which would be a miraculous step forward. But, Emma, please promise you'll tell her before we go? Because I don't think I could take it if our child was raised with grandparents that think he or she has a different second parent. I don't think I could ever forgive you for that, understood?"

Emma looked at her lovingly, stroking a strand away from her red and tear-stained cheeks as she cradled the woman's face in her palm gently. "I love you, beautiful. I promise, I won't let us leave before she knows the truth; I don't want to deny you that. And if Snow can't accept it, then it sucks, but it wouldn't be worth loosing you over. You're the one I love, the one I've spent the past year with, the one I know, the one I'm having this baby with... you're my one. I don't want to let you down Regina."

Regina was tearing up at the honestly behind the blonde's words as she leaned her face further into the offered palm and kissed it softly.

"Okay," she nodded resolutely, falling into Emma's arms the moment the word was out. "I trust you."

They stayed wrapped in each other's embrace for a few solid moments, just holding each other-nothing more, before being interrupted by the sound of a throat clearing.

"Sorry to break up this touching moment, girls, but if we're going to be pulling off this ridiculous rouse that Emma's cooked up, I'm going to need a bit more information on what exactly this story is," Cora spoke soundly.

Up until that point, the women had forgotten the older woman's presence. "How on Earth have you been so quiet through all of this, mother?" Regina couldn't help asking.

The older woman rolled her eyes, finally rising from the bed in a swift yet elegant manner. "I figured I would let you two work it out, and it was a bit like watching one of those shows on the funny box thing." She chuckled.

"You mean a television?" Emma asked with a raised eyebrow at the woman's lack of knowledge with electronics even after a year of living with them.

"Yes, that," she gestured with her hand in the air wave the whole topic off. "Now, if you're quite finished hurting my daughter, Swan, you can tell me all I need to know. I'm quite good at deception," Cora stated proudly.

"Oh, we know."


	5. Dig the Hole and Bury the Coffin

The Birdcage

Author's Note: I know, I know, I am so late with this. I was just stuck on this for no apparent reason and kept adding and deleting parts, hence why it is late and a bit shorter. Don't worry, your regularly scheduled weekend updates will resume. =] THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR KIND WORDS AND FOLLOWS AND EVERYTHING.

* * *

Chapter 5: Dig the Hole and Bury the Coffin

Dinnertime in the Charming Castle came much too soon for Regina's liking, but then again, there really was no delaying the inevitable of the awkward reunion that was about to take place. She was certain Snow had invited half of the old inhabitants of Storybrooke to welcome Emma home, a much different dynamic from that of the private lunch affair.

She dressed herself in a simple yet elegant deep red cocktail dress, choosing to remain with the customs of the world she currently still lived in, knowing Emma wouldn't have been trying on any frilly ball gowns either. In fact, the thought was entirely laughable.

Regina wasn't entirely concerned with fitting in, but rather simply surviving the trip in one piece; that meant sticking within as much of her comfort zone as possible.

She and Emma had explained things to Henry a few hours earlier as calmly as possible, hoping it wouldn't be requesting too much of him. Regina absolutely abhorred having to ask him to lie, but he had quickly announced that it was for the good of preventing a vicious war to break out among everyone, so he would do it without complaint.

Something about Henry's logic there was a bit unsettling, as she highly doubted such drastic measures would be taken were the truth actually revealed, but Regina bit back her complaints as she hoped that ten plus years of parenting had not just completely flown out the window.

With Cora in tow, who had donned a similar dress of dark emerald akin to the style she had always worn previously to Storybrooke, complete with jewels and an assortment rich patterns, Regina made her way down to the grand dinning hall where Snow had always hosted some of her larger affairs. Just as predicted, Regina didn't even have to hide her non-existent surprise at seeing the massive crowd already gathering around Emma off to the side, each just waiting for their turn to welcome the savior back.

Regina doubted such a line would grow for her.

Looking around, she spotted several familiar faces. Red and Granny were over to the side speaking with Snow. Belle was standing a few paces away looking hesitantly like she wanted to approach Red, causing Regina to smirk at the unexpected budding romance she could literally see building on the girl's face. All seven dwarfs could be accounted for, though she didn't pay them much mind, having always had a dislike for the mini imps they tended to be—especially in such drunken states.

Just about whatever direction Regina looked in, she always found another face she recognized, sometimes by name and others just by the face, having spent so many shallow years seeing them around Storybrooke with the occasional small run-in.

"Oh, you'll be fine on your own for a bit, right dear?" Cora asked distractedly, walking off before Regina even had the chance to voice her response. She wanted to say that she wouldn't be, that she didn't want to be left alone in the shark tank, but Cora wasn't the easiest woman to voice such concerns to and she was certain they would remain unheard.

Her mother had immediately taken off upon entering the room with some line about having to go catch up with some old friend, who had also evidently made his way into this mixed crowd. This left Regina alone as she looked about helplessly for someone she could possibly have a conversation with.

Despite all she had done and sacrificed to help them and redeem herself, most of the others had still remained weary and skeptical around here, which did not appear to have eased away over time. She felt like the big pink elephant in the room that no one wanted to acknowledge despite their clear awareness of her presence. She knew if she wanted anything to change to hopefully show Snow that she was more than capable of making her daughter happy, this would all have to begin turning around.

Normally, Regina wouldn't have minded feeling so out of place in the crowd, knowing that it was merely because she was intimidating to everyone else. It was much better to feel such a way than to feel the way Regina had all throughout her marriage to Leopold.

Then, she'd still sat alone, surrounded by hundreds of people on an almost weekly basis.

Then, it was clear that no one even saw her, and that had been the utterly worst feeling Regina could imagine.

Now, at least, she could feel the eyes looming on her. They knew of her presence, and the fear that emanated off their stares was much more comforting.

Regina was not looking forward to causing things to flip the other way, but Emma had stricken something open within her that almost craved to experience some of the empty and mindless conversations.

She wanted to seek out Emma, wishing above all else that the blonde could be there to hold her hand through all of this, but it seemed that her younger counterpart was currently occupied with a bunch of award greetings, mostly from residents she had never even met that only knew her as the Savior and needed no further reasoning to treat her like they had the privilege of knowing her in the first place.

Henry was next to Emma, smiling happily as he went through each person and was likely figuring out which modern fairy tale character they were supposed to be. As much as Regina wanted to join them—her family—she knew that wouldn't be likely received well by everyone else.

Her mother was still off with the strange, one legged man, cackling loudly in the corner about some joke she supposed, and it wasn't exactly a party Regina intended to interrupt. Cavorting with the former "bad guys" was probably not the best way to show everyone how much she had changed. With a further glance around, Regina noticed Archie was deep in a conversation with Gepetto, a reunion she didn't feel keen on interrupting either.

This left Regina with two choices: she could either remain in the shadows off to the side, accomplishing nothing and feeling more out of place than a rose in a field of weeds, or she could try and just approach someone, a concept that seemed more painful than it really should. The nerves bubbling up in her stomach were nearly suffocating to the brunette, who was tempted to take a third option and just run back to her chambers, or perhaps even travel all the way home and only come back when Emma and the others were ready to return.

Just as Regina was seriously considering this third option, she was approached by the most unlikely of all, perhaps—Prince Charming.

"Hello, Regina," he said smoothly as he stood in front of her, smiling strangely. It was a bit off-putting to the woman who was certain he must not actually care about her. What could he be after?

"Charming," Regina bit out before remembering her promise to Emma to try and show them that she was better now. Clearing her throat, Regina lowered her defenses a bit and tried to paste on a smile. It wasn't too "Madame Mayor" or her, and it lacked the wicked feel or the Evil Queen, but it was as close to genuine as she could feign.

"Or is it David now?" she asked, a bit more softly.

He smiled at her, still causing an uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach. "David is fine, actually. How did you know that was my real name, by the way?" he asked suddenly, throwing Regina off her kilter.

"Excuse me?"

"You know, during the curse. Everyone else got another name, but I already went by a fake name, so how did you know that my name was actually David?" he asked again, seeming genuinely curious.

"What do you want?" Regina asked sharply, not in the mood to play games or beat around the bush, as it seemed apparent that he was trying to remind her of her past wrongdoings.

Instead, David eyed her in confusion—which wasn't actually a stretch from his typical expression—and spoke up again. "What do I want? Regina, I just thought that maybe you looked a little lonely over here, so I thought I would come over and show people that they shouldn't be afraid to talk to you. But hey, if you want to be left alone, I won't stop you."

As David turned dejectedly to walk away and return to his wife's side, Regina saw her chance at showing them all who she really was slipping like sand between her fingers. More importantly, her chance of making Emma happy.

"I didn't know it was your real name," Regina spurted out quickly, just before he was out of hearing range.

Slowly, David turned towards her with a satisfied grin and walked back to his spot only a few feet in front of her, looking at her expectantly to continue. "You just looked like a David to me, that's all," Regina explained lamely with an animated flourish of her hand to push some hair back away from her face.

"Really?" He asked as though he barely believed her reasoning.

Regina sighed, looking at him sorrowfully. "Most of the details of each Storybrooke identity were well planned out. The names were mostly clever reminders for me to figure out who was who, hence why you were David, since that was just the name that struck me when I looked at you. Other details were kept so people didn't completely lose themselves," Regina admitted.

"That was never my intention. I simply wanted a chance at my own happiness, and I knew with the terrible views of me that everyone had, I had no other choice left. You worked at the animal shelter because of your upbringing around animals, for example."

Regina was not sure who was more surprised by her honest admission, herself or David. He was staring at her wide eyes, portraying a hint of sympathy that had never been directed at her by the man before. Regina simply couldn't believe she was being so open in front of the enemy. Then again, she couldn't really continue considering her love's parents the enemy any longer.

"Wow, I guess I'm… not entirely sure what to think of that," David admitted wearily, running a hand back through his short locks. "I never knew you put so much thought into it all."

"Yes, well, I've found that when given the chance to start over, it's best to seize every bit of it." With that, Regina found her footing and grinned, moving to walk away from Charming and do exactly that—show she could start over.

Unfortunately, as Regina strode away from David, her confidence began slipping away once more upon the realization that the others were not as eager to accept her as he seemed to be. Like before, she was left glancing around for an opening, only this time with a bit of added determination. If she couldn't just walk up and kiss the woman she loved to show everyone exactly who she was all in one swoop, then she would have to take it slowly.

Luckily, Regina didn't have to find out how any of this would go just yet.

The ringing of a high-pitched bell signaled that the guests were expected to take their seats for the meal where the first course would be served. Rather than the traditional setup of several tables all turned to face one elevated table of the royals, a design Leopold had always favored in his court, the Charmings had set up everyone around one long table, creating a feeling of equality. There was a time where Regina knew she would have rolled her eyes at the idea, but at least it would put them all more at ease with the current situation.

Instinctively, Regina began to walk towards where Emma was being seated, but soon realized that no place was being saved for her there. Emma was placed smack between her parents with Henry, who had all quickly been surrounded by their closest friends. It was nothing more than a silly seating arrangement, but Regina couldn't help but feel the tiny pang that she could not be at her rightful part of it.

Emma at least had the decency to shoot Regina an apologetic frown, but as Regina seated herself at the other end of the table by her mother, she still felt like that rejected little puppy trying to scratch at the door to an empty house in the rain. All attempts at anything greater would be futile, so her efforts would be best focused elsewhere.

The first course was quickly served to each guest, which Regina was grateful for. As long as there was food, she could avoid the uncomfortable small talk. Or more likely, she could avoid sitting there quietly with no one to make small talk to.

She missed the days where she could effortlessly obliterate them all without feeling the true weight of her guilt.

Once everyone was finishing up, a dinging sound from a glass startled Regina from her thoughts. Snow was trying to gather attention for some sort of big announcement, or so it seemed from the excited look on her face. Regina could only imagine what sort of speech the sappy woman had all planned out as a means of welcoming Emma "home." She could be certain the younger woman had rehearsed it to herself for weeks so as to get every minute detail absolutely perfect.

"Can I have your attention please?" Snow spoke in her most noble voice. "As I am sure you all know, we finally have our wonderful daughter Emma and our grandson Henry here, along with some older acquaintances," Snow began.

Regina had to keep from physically rolling her eyes at the words Snow had chosen to describe her; always the diplomat anymore it seemed.

"Emma, I know this is all so new to you, but on behalf of the whole kingdom, I just want to welcome you as our princess. Don't worry, I won't try putting you in any puffy pink dresses or anything, we all know how you love your leather," Snow joked, easing Emma's worried expression and causing everyone else to laugh. Even Regina felt her lips tugging into a smile at the thought.

"Anyways," Snow began once more when everyone had quieted down, "it has been a tough year on everyone, but we're so happy that you're with us now. You know you always have a home here if you and my grandchildren ever tire of Storybrooke."

Regina's eyes shot to Emma's the moment the word was out of Snow's mouth, but no matter how many spells she could think of, there were none that would erase what had already been spoken. The entire room had grown silent as Snow White's pale complexion turned impossibly lighter.

"Grandchildren? As in more than one?" Ruby asked with a squeal at Snow's nod of comfirmation. "Emma, you're pregnant?"

Emma stuttered, looking no better off than a dear in the headlights of a semi-truck. This was it. As Regina looked at Emma, love sent in a silent message of support, she fully expected her girlfriend to finally come clean. The setting wasn't ideal, but she knew there was no way Emma would lie to everyone like that. She simply did not have it in her.

The blonde finally nodded, ripping her gaze from Regina's and onto her blushing mother.

"Emma I am so sorry, I didn't mean to…" Snow drifted off, looking to Emma with what Regina could discern as actual fear.

"No, it's okay, really." Emma stood up next to Snow, patting her mother awkwardly on the shoulder with a small smile. "You were just excited, I get it."

Snow beamed, looking to her daughter and then back around to all the happy faces at the table. "That I am. Besides, I think everyone here can appreciate that you've found true love now."

The deer in the headlights look was back, only this time, Regina noticed it on Archie's sweaty face as well.

"Who is it?" Ruby asked excitedly, looking at Emma with the same expectant grin the rest of the table—sans the few from Storybrooke—all had. "Is it someone from _over there?_ Is he cute?"

"Oh, uhm, about that," Emma shifted nervously, hand running back through her hair as her eyes went up and met Regina's. This was it, she could just feel it. Regina was fully prepared to run to Emma's side and support her the moment the words were out, desperately wanting to put this whole mess behind them.

"It's Archie."

Regina looked down to be sure that some blunt object hadn't just been whipped at her chest, but there was nothing there besides a pained heart. Emma tried to shoot her an apologetic look, one that was surely meant to say 'Sorry, I'm just not ready,' but Regina could feel the unshed tears stinging her eyes nonetheless.

She should feel anger and rage, the poison coursing through her blood like old times, but this rejection just felt like devastation. Regina knew that Emma had her reasoning for this—she knows that it was even her idea in the beginning—but at the same time, she knows that it hurts.

She can't blame the blonde, but at the same time cannot forgive her so easily.

With all eyes on Emma, people bursting out with another round of congratulations, Regina slunk back from the table and poofed herself back to her chambers in a thick cloud of smoke.

As the remnants of her magic drifted off into the air, the only eyes to notice her absence were those of a very regretful blonde princess.

* * *

_To make up for my lateness, the next chapter will earn it's M rating. ;)_


	6. Confrontations

The Birdcage

Author's Note: Two things- One, I'm sorry that it took so long, but I don't think I'm going to be confining this to a specific update day any more, since I've now missed it twice. That doesn't mean I won't still update once a week, I just don't know which day I'll have time with how college is tearing me apart at the moment, so I'll just be less... predictable I suppose. =]

Two, I promised the M rating in this chapter... and I lied. I saw what you all thought about it and took that into consideration, as well as looked at the original direction of this story as opposed to where I have been slowly leading it. Fun Fact: This was originally intended to be funny... No, I'm serious. That's just how my fingers work. They make things dark. And here it was about to either get very dark and change the whole premise, or stay relatively on task. So, while that is going to still happen, it will be a little later.

Thank you all SO MUCH for all the support for this story. It means the world to me, and I absolutely love hearing what you think about it, even if you're just venting your frustrations with this Emma "Clueless" Swan character. (I really love those, not going to lie)

* * *

Chapter 6: Confrontations

Regina could feel the presence coming up behind her, immediately recognized who the intruder was, but she did not turn from her spot in front of the window. After fleeing the dinner quite drastically, she had retreated to the tallest tower of the castle. It was a room she knew well, one with a vast window that covered an entire wall. During her marriage, she had always come here to escape when things became too overwhelming.

The room was considerably small, consisting of a few forgotten bookshelves and a pristine white couch that had somehow managed to survive her curse's wrath. She supposed it had to do with the fondness she had held for the room at the time. It was the only part of this castle that didn't make her uneasy; that she had not been defiled in.

"Regina," the blonde began from behind, seemingly oblivious to Regina's acute awareness of her presence.

"How did you find me?" she asked softly, a hint of fallen tears still catching in her throat.

Emma moved forward and tried to wrap her arms around Regina from behind, but the brunette just tensed and shrugged out of the hold, moving out of reach once more.

Emma sighed in disappointment but did not try to reach for her again. "Snow suggested you might be up here."

At the confession, Regina whirled around, looking at the blonde in shock. "Why would she do a thing like that?"

"Because, Regina, you just disappeared and… I couldn't not go after you. So I asked her where you might have poofed off too."

"I see," Regina spoke sadly. She noticed that Emma had said nothing of telling her parents the truth. "And she didn't find that peculiar?"

"Oh, trust me, she absolutely did. But I told you that you were a part of our lives now, so it was important to me to make sure you were okay."

"You did?" Regina asked, a hint of hope edging into her tone. Her eyes met Emma's and were content to see honesty there.

Emma sighed, moving her hands in front of her as if she didn't quite know what to do with them before leaving them to fall limp at her sides. "Yes, baby, of course. Look, Regina, I'm not stupid. I know this is incredibly hard on you too, and I'm sorry that I've been clearly hurting you here."

"Sorry," Regina scoffed. "So you keep saying." Her gaze shifted back outside.

"That's because I mean it," Emma spoke firmly as she turned Regina's head back towards her so their eyes were locked together.

Regina met the eyes head on, not backing away from her next words. "Do you, though? Because you keep telling me that and then you go and only make it worse, Emma. How am I supposed to trust you when you say that? Sorry doesn't give you a free pass to continue hurting me!" The tears were back in her eyes but she didn't waver from the brewing fight.

"Damnit, Regina, it was your idea in the first place!"

"So you also keep reminding me!" Regina fumed, stepping closer so they were nearly nose to nose. "If you would just… think clearly for a moment, Emma, you would realize that this is not what I suggested. I said you could lie about our relationship to your parents, because I know that I have done things to them to warrant their misguided feelings, and I didn't want to add to your stress. You can deny me all you want to them, because their opinions mean nothing to me, whereas I know you desperately want them.

"But I _never_ said it was okay to lie about our baby. I understand that Snow finding out was out of your control, since that little thing wanted to make herself known, but you could have come clean then. Why would you take that away from me?" She was yelling now, desperate for answers to questions she couldn't even ask.

"And honestly, Emma, I thought you of all people would understand that just because someone says something is okay, doesn't mean it is. Or have you forgotten all the lies you fed Snow about why you were really staying in Storybrooke?" Regina's eyes were lit like a burning fire, suddenly jumping out of their sedentary state as she roared with the fury that had been slowly eating away at her.

"Enough!" Emma yelled back.

"No, it's not enough! It's not enough until you get it through that thick head of yours that we can't keep this up." The tears were steadily falling down Regina's face now as Emma's arms wrapped tightly around her. Even in their anger they had to hold each other up.

"I'm s-"

"Don't you dare say it, Swan."

"But Regina…"

"No! Emma, I love you, and I know you love me as well, but right now you are not thinking clearly and you are hurting me. I know you think I am all better now, that you've swiped away all the evil from inside me, but that's not true, darling. That part of me will always be there, and usually you help me keep it grounded, but right now you seem to be having the opposite effect. I don't know if my presence here right now is for the best."

It was taking all of her control to not just throw Emma up against a wall; to fuck all her fury out between them. Regina was more responsible with her choices now, though, and she knew it would solve nothing by morning, if not serve to make things worse. She would hold the violence in, but the words still needed to spew out to make room.

"No, Regina, I'm sor… I mean, crap." Emma took a deep breath and ran her fingers back through her tangled hair. "You're right. You are absolutely right. Just, please don't go. I need you here, even if I've been acting like a dick and not showing it. I should never have agreed to this in the first place. It was a bad idea, and I panicked when Snow found out about the baby… _our_ baby… but that is no excuse for what I did."

Emma pulled back just enough to look Regina in the eyes. "I will tell her the truth, first thing tomorrow morning." At Regina's exasperated eye roll Emma quickly put her hands up in surrender. "Not because I don't want to run back down to the ballroom and tell her and everyone else right now, but I just want her to have this one day. Just one day where she is proud of me and thinks I'm the perfect daughter. Or, well, perfect as she seems to think I am."

"Where have you gone, Emma?" Regina asked suddenly, drawing in Emma's confusion by the blunt way she had inquired about such a puzzling question.

"What? Regina, I'm still standing right here."

It was enough to make Regina laugh, though clearly not on purpose as the blonde's brow only furrowed further. "I didn't mean literally, dear. What I meant is, the Emma I know isn't so afraid. Where has she gone?"

Regina knew it was a weighted question that couldn't possibly be answered, but it had been burning on the tip of her tongue over since this whole trip had begun.

"That Emma never had to please anyone, not like this. That Emma grew up with foster families and people who seemed to make it their goals to shit on her life. Then that Emma found you, who loved her without the need for anything else, simply because you were the same way. This Emma, however, isn't used to having parents that she doesn't know to have to try and live up to these unrealistic expectations for. For the first time, I guess, I'm just really afraid I'm going to blow it," Emma confessed.

Regina felt the weight of her response, as heavy as the question had been, and it did make sense. "What about me? You aren't afraid to lose me?" Regina scoffed, a small smirk breaking out finally to show she was only trying to lighten the mood.

"Nope, never. You're just stuck with me, Regina, like it or not," Emma replied cockily.

And they laughed, briefly, letting out the rest of the pent up steam in a more pleasant way until things slowly shifted back to a slightly more comfortable silence.

"Do you think you can ever forgive me?" Emma asked mournfully.

Regina sighed, looking at Emma with forlorn eyes. "Yes." Emma sighed in relief. "But not today." The older woman was quick to add, noting the blonde's fallen face in response.

"I understand," Emma added dejectedly.

"Darling, I get everything you've been doing, I truly do, but that doesn't take away the pain it put me through. And as grateful as I am for your apology—as annoyingly repetitive as it was—I can't just push that aside. I've spent too much time trying to pretend those I love are not hurting me; I don't think that it would be best for me to allow that to happen here."

"Whatever you want, whatever you need, I will do it if it shows you just how much I really am sorry."

"I know, my love." Regina smiled sadly. She walked towards Emma, pulling her close for a soft kiss to show that, while things were still strained between them, she would eventually be able to move past it, in a great deal of time.

"Hey, Regina, one more thing," Emma said, stopping just before she reached the doorway.

"Hmm?" Regina hummed curiously, her head tilting up towards the retreating blonde's figure standing with a befuddled look clouding her features.

"Earlier, you uhm… you referred to the baby as a 'her.' Does that mean…" Emma shifted nervously, clearly struggling with how to phrase her question without sounding foolish, much to Regina's reluctant amusement.

"Does it mean that I used magic to find out the sex of our baby?" Regina asked knowingly with a light chuckle. "No, dear. I, uh, suppose I was simply guessing. Doesn't she just feel like a little girl to you?" It was Regina's turn to be embarrassed at her admission. She'd been secretly considering their little nugget a girl for a while, but had yet to voice the thought out loud. After all, there was no way for her to actually know that, right?

Emma smiled, beamed actually, as she felt just a little bit closer to being forgiven. "She does. Soon we'll have to start thinking of names."

"Yes, well, about that. I've been doing some thinking…"

_Meanwhile, just a little before…_

Cora had seen the look on Regina's face as she magicked herself away, barely noticed in her cloud of raging violet smoke. She had felt the sting in her eyes as if she had been the one to put it there, and the knowledge that it was coming from the person her daughter loved the most was eating away at her. Despite all of their unresolved issues, Cora hated herself for all the pain she had put her daughter through. Of all the people she wronged in her lifetime, most of that didn't matter. It was all a fleck on the windshield that was her long life—she could live with them without much consideration when tackled one at a time.

Regina, however, was like the giant crack spreading out through the glass like a web. The only way to see clearly again was to fix it—in this case, "it" being all the wrong she had so foolishly thrust upon her daughter through the years. Cora Mills knew she could not, however, change anything. There was nothing she could do to fill in the cracks in the shattered glass without leaving an even uglier mess behind.

Instead, though, Cora could simply replace the windshield. Regina had given her the option, the fresh slate, and with it she was determined to protect that layer of glass. Any pain to Regina would cause another scratch mark, and she was determined not to let Emma Swan be the cause of another crack.

So, right then and there, Cora realized she had had enough of this foolish display between the two women. Frankly, she thought they were both acting like a couple of idiots; Emma for having the nerve to hurt her daughter in such a jabbing way and Regina for allowing it to go on for so long. This would have to change, now, and she was going to do just that.

The announcement had brought the meal to an end, everyone else far too excited with the news to stay seated another moment. Archie was being surrounded by curious peasants, and she smirked at the thought of the man trying desperately not to slip up. She noticed Emma slipping from the room—at least the girl was starting to grow some balls back—and took that as the perfect opportunity to set her newly formed plan in motion.

"Oh, Charming!" Cora called with a feigned cheeriness, waving in the man's direction. His puzzled expression was just too easy for her to earn. It did, however, ensure that she had his full attention, which he was quick to pull away from the prying ears of everyone else. Her unpredictability—purely as a means to mess with the idiot—was turning out to be even more effective than she could have dreamed. Cora laughed airily as she caught up with him, content that he was too nervous to let anyone else hear what she could possibly have to say.

What, little Prince Charming didn't want to be seen openly associating with the _enemy_?

"Cora, uh, what is it?" he asked nervously, fiddling with his short locks as if it made any difference in his actual appearance. It's not like he was called "Charming" because of his colorful personality...

"I think you need to come with me," she ordered, staring him down without any room for argument. Well, an intelligent person wouldn't have dared argue with her, anyways.

Then there was Charming.

"Excuse me? Look, I don't know what crazy scheme you're playing at here, Cora, but can it wait? I need to go congratulate my daughter."

Cora grabbed his arm roughly as he turned to leave, taking a bit of pleasure in the "manly" squeak that he emitted in response. "In case you hadn't noticed, Emma is no longer here. Can you just keep up, please? We probably don't have much time. You can congratulate her when we get there." Cora sighed in annoyance, walking off before waiting for any sign of confirmation from the man. He would follow, like the lost puppy he always was.

And he did.

"Cora, where exactly are we going?" Charming asked after a few minutes of walking through his castle. She was sure by now that he must have realized they were not leaving the property and calmed down considerably, but apparently not.

"Well, this would be much quicker if you just allowed me to poof us there," the older woman huffed.

David looked on wearily, clearly still skeptical of her use of magic, causing Cora to do nothing but roll her eyes with an exasperated sigh. "Please, if I was planning to kill you, I'd have done it by now. Besides, I'm not the one who made the parts of this castle so far apart, dear," Cora admonished.

She had every intention of taking the man to the highest tower, where she was sure both Regina and Emma were currently residing. Despite not having spent much time living under the White household with Regina before being sentenced to life in Wonderland, Cora still was well aware of her daughter's habits. Even as a small baby, the only place she seemed able to get Regina to stop crying in had been in the tallest part of whatever building they happened to be in. It wasn't likely that things had changed now, either.

"Fine." Charming caved in, sinking his shoulders as he looked at Cora expectantly.

With a wicked grin, she encased them both in a thick cloud of blue smoke, quickly appearing in front of a door that was propped open only a crack.

Just as David seemed about to loudly voice a question, Cora harshly shushed him, glaring until the man cowered back near the door where he was being indicated to listen. From her slight distance away, as the woman knew she didn't really need to hear this as much as she did need to be at least two arms lengths away from Charming, Cora couldn't really hear all that was being voiced. She could clearly identify that it was indeed Emma and Regina inside the room, and the look of shock on Charming's face told her the rest.

Cora had brought him here with the hopes that Emma's father might be able to knock some sense into her, or at the very least, aid in the whole Snow White situation. What she hadn't counted on, however, was that he would suddenly spring into action. With no warning, leaving her with no chance to stop him, David was leaping back up to his feet and bursting in through the door.

"Emma, what on earth is going on? You… Regina… what?"

Everything seemed to move slowly. Regina froze in her spot, standing tall but just a tiny bit cowardly as she took in the sight of the flabbergasted man. Emma had turned and was now looking at him in fear. David was just staring between the two, and then down at Emma's pregnant stomach, and then repeating the cycle over and over. And finally, Cora was standing in the doorway, looking proud as ever of her accomplishment.

"Well, you won't be needing any more of my assistance this evening," Cora announced, turning on her heels before anyone could turn on her.

"Mother!" Regina yelled, breaking the silence that had fallen over the room. Of course, it fell on empty ears as Cora had already dissolved away in a pocket of smoke.

Well, this was certainly about to become very awkward.


	7. Costly Magic

The Birdcage

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters or show. If I did, Regina would be floating around on a rainbow singing about how happy she is.

A/N: Hello, strangers! I really am sorry guys, but sometimes real life just gets too busy. Three more weeks until the end of the term, though, and then you can expect a lot of updates. I made this one nice and long for you. Mwah! Thank you for all the support with this story.

* * *

Chapter 7: Costly Magic

The three remaining in the room were in a standoff of sorts, and no one was moving. Regina was perched off to the left of the door, eyes trained on Emma as she tried to ignore the annoying presence her mother had so thoughtfully brought to the room. They had just been talking, moving the conversation in a more pleasant direction with thoughts about their growing baby, and he had suddenly appeared, shattering all perceptions of happiness for the time being.

She had watched the look of horror cross Emma's face when she processed her father's sudden outburst through the door. For his part, Charming looked entirely confused by the situation—which wasn't much of a stretch for him—and Regina was a bit thankful that his reaction didn't seem to be hostile yet. Of course, she had no idea how much he had actually heard.

Emma looked terrified; she was not the picture of the strong blonde Savior the rest of the world had grown used to seeing her as. She was so tiny, staring at the man who was her father with wide eyes, and it took all Regina had in her not to reach out a comforting hand. She refrained from the action, knowing it could only make the situation worse, depending on what he had or hadn't heard.

"Will someone please tell me what is going on here?" Charming repeated, looking between the two women with a desperate expression.

Regina looked between the father-daughter duo, wishing that she could be anywhere else. In fact, the thought of disappearing like her mother just had was entirely too tempting, but there was no way she could leave Emma alone to explain for herself. Emma had failed enough attempts as it was, she realized. No, this was about them and they would have to face it together.

But that didn't mean she couldn't allow Emma the privilege of starting, after all, it was her mess that they were now tangled in.

"How much did you hear?" Emma finally squeaked out.

"Enough," Charming spoke blandly. Regina couldn't help but notice that he had that same confused puppy look she'd seen grace Emma's face on many occasions, and she wondered briefly if their child would have that look too.

David looked back and forth between them, and Regina tried her best not to scoff at the tears in his eyes. "You two are… really… having a baby… _together_?" he asked in astonishment.

Emma finally grew a pair and walked towards Regina, reaching out a steady arm to place around her waist. The brunette smiled and leaned into the embrace, trying not to reciprocate too much for fear of scaring David off. She couldn't help the little glimmer of hope that swelled within her, though, as she realized Emma wasn't trying to hide anything this time.

He didn't seem especially angry, which was a good sign, but she could tell he was still trying to absorb everything. "I don't understand. How… you know you need…" David trailed off, reaching a hand up to rub the back of his neck as he looked to the ground.

The melodious sound of Emma's laughter rang through the air, lightening the atmosphere in the way only she could, filling it instead with that childlike pureness she contained.

"Yeah, that's what I thought too. Turns out, there's one way that two women can in fact make the other pregnant."

"True love." His eyes widened almost comically, and Regina had to bite the inside of her cheek. There was still that bit of her just waiting for the bad reaction.

"Yep," Emma said with a nod, smiling up at her father shyly.

Charming looked at his daughter, eyes watering, and for a moment it felt as if his reaction could go either way. But then he was closing the distance between himself and Emma, wrapping his arms around her in what was likely the most fatherly hug she'd ever received, whilst Regina watched from the side in admiration.

Emma's face seemed to flicker through a quick succession of emotions before finally settling on a smile that crumpled with a heavy sob. Her arms clutched tightly to her father as the tears broke through the floodgates and ran down her face. Regina looked on in shock, having only witnessed such a reaction from Emma once before, when she'd finally been hit with the fact that her entire life was a lie and her family was a bunch of fairy tale characters. There was something slight in her face that seemed different this time, though she couldn't place her tongue on it.

"Emma, are you all right?" she asked carefully, hating to interrupt the moment. Feeling as though Emma was in distress of some kind set off her raging defenses with a pang of need to protect the younger woman.

Emma laughed, finally pulling back from her father's embrace with a firm nod. "I'm fine, just a bit overwhelmed," she said before turning to look at David. "You're really okay with this? With me loving Regina?"

Charming seemed to hesitate with his answer, his eyes flickering back and forth between the two. Regina could feel herself being assessed, as if he was trying to gauge just how sincere she was in all of this.

"We may have our differences, David, and Emma may not have been a person I initially wanted to love, but I wouldn't give up what we have for anything."

David nodded, seeming to have accepted what she was saying with a smile.

"And Emma, you're happy with this?"

Emma nodded quickly, looking over to Regina with eyes shining full of pride beneath the puffy redness left behind after her burst of tears.

"Regina makes me very happy. My whole family does, even this little one," she chuckled, pointing down to her barely protruding stomach. "I want you to be okay with this, but you should know that they're the ones I'll stick with if it becomes necessary." Regina felt her own eyes beginning to water.

"It won't," Charming quickly stated, smiling at his daughter. "I can't say I'm thrilled that you found love with her, Emma, but I do know that true love can't be stopped. If it's meant to be, as you're telling me, then there is no reason for me to try and stand in the way."

At this, Regina really did allow her tears to fall. To some degree, she felt pain that her own father was not still around to say the same things about her an Emma, but maybe it was fair that way. Emma had spent the first part of her life without a father, when Regina had one, and now Regina was experiencing the exact reverse. It was almost as if there wouldn't be enough room for both, yet she desperately wished there could be.

When Charming came up and wrapped his own arms around her, Regina immediately stiffened, too shocked by the actions to do much else. Her gut instinct told her to fling him across the room, but then she realized what he was doing and allowed herself to weakly return it. Maybe hugging wasn't the best option for them, and it likely wouldn't be a reoccurring event, but the brunette was so content in that moment with the feelings of Emma's radiating happiness that she opted to just allow it to happen.

A few seconds later he stepped back, looking to her as he spoke, "I may be a little late to the game here, but I hope we can have a little chat later?"

"Of course," she nodded once, knowing the man felt deprived of his chances to scare off any of Emma's previous suitors. Regina could handle it.

"I do have one question, though," Charming spoke up, looking back to Emma.

"Yes?"

"Why Archie?"

"Uh, Snow just sort of guessed it was him," Emma answered sheepishly.

"She did? That's odd." David looked confused, and though it was a regularly occurring feature to his expression, Regina couldn't help but find his words curious.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"Well it's just…" he trailed off, looking suddenly quite awkward and fascinated with a speck on the floor. "We both kind of figured that Emma's interests didn't really go towards people like… Archie."

At this, Regina let out a snort—or the closest she would ever come to one—while Emma looked entirely mortified.

"You guys were discussing my sexuality?" Emma practically screeched, looking a little pale suddenly.

"Hey, we had to talk about something while we were waiting for you to finally visit," Charming replied with a light chuckle.

"Right," Emma grumbled.

What still did not make sense was Snow's response to Emma. If she had already suspected her daughter was gay, why would she have assumed she was with Archie, of all people? Regina's eyes connected with Emma's as she silently relayed her question.

"Ze penis, ze pussy, ze baby," Emma stated blatantly with an over-exaggerated accent and a shrug. Regina couldn't tell if her own face mirrored the confused one of Charming's, but she was willing to chance a bet that it did.

Emma sighed dramatically, rolling her eyes and looking pointedly at Regina. "Okay, he's my dad, so I get him not getting it, but really, Regina? Have you never watched the L Word?"

"The what now?" Regina asked, feeling as though Emma was suddenly speaking some sort of foreign language.

"Ugh, nevermind. I was just saying that Snow probably assumed it was Archie because you usually need a man's… parts to get a baby, at least in some way."

Regina scoffed, making it her own turn to roll her eyes. "Emma, dear, Snow is much more accustomed to magic than you. She should surely realize that there are ways around that."

"I'm sure it just slipped her mind," Charming added in, though from his tone Regina was sure he suspected there was more to it than that.

"Yeah, that's probably it," Emma agreed, not looking too bothered by the fact. The blonde's nonchalance about it was helping to put Regina a bit more at east, so she opted to overlook her mother's slip for now. "Think she'll take the news as well as my dad?" she asked hopefully.

"You're planning to tell Snow the truth?" Charming asked, the color suddenly draining from his face.

"Well, yeah, I mean, we were going to tell you both tomorrow, but seeing as you already know…"

"Emma, I'm not sure that's such a good idea."

"What?!" two shocked voices echoed, both Emma and Regina looking at Charming like he'd grown a second head.

"Sorry, what I mean is, Regina and Snow have a much more complicated history. Maybe you should let me prepare her before she comes to as abrupt a conclusion as I had to," David clarified, and Regina felt herself immediately relaxing.

"For once, Emma, I do believe your father may be correct."

"You're right." Emma sighed with a tight smile. "Thanks, uh… Dad." It was clearly still difficult for her to get used to that, Regina mused.

"What are we thanking Charming for?" a giddy voice asked from the doorway.

All three heads turned in that direction, only to find Snow herself standing there. Regina jumped away from Emma, hoping their close stances had gone unnoticed. The last thing they needed was the lovely moment ruined by Snow White's inevitable meltdown.

"Snow, what are you doing up here?" David asked, ignoring her question as he glided over to take his place at his wife's side.

"I could as you the same thing. I've been searching everywhere for you two, but it seems you've been having some sort of bonding moment… with Regina?" Snow asked wearily.

The aforementioned brunette tried not to glare, she really did, but the way her name had been spoken with such clear disdain didn't leave her with many other options.

"We were just chatting," Emma answered with a plastered on grin. "I'm just not used to parties like that, you know…"

"Of course," Snow said with a solemn nod. "If you three have had enough distance for a while, perhaps you could come back down now?" Snow chastised lightly. "After all, we do have guests here to see Emma."

Charming took Snow's arm, pulling her towards the door before the conversation could get any further along. It was clear it would be difficult for him to refrain from blurting out the truth before the party was over, and he wasn't the only one.

* * *

Meanwhile, back in the ballroom, with Emma's disappearance, Archie had become quite the center of attention. It seemed that everyone wanted to know so many details of his "relationship" with Emma, and it was starting to get difficult to keep his own story straight. No one seemed to notice, though, for they all just smiled and acted like it was the perfect romance. Some had even said they knew all along from the looks the two gave each other, to which Archie had found himself trying not to roll his own eyes.

This was getting out of control.

He was also feeling quite troubled about it, as lying this much went against his basic belief system. There seemed to be the need for a constant reminder that doing this was also helping his friends, the people who had become like family to him after everyone traveled back to the Enchanted Forest.

Finally escaping yet another group of girls wanting to hear the whole "story," Archie slid into the corner and looked around in quiet content for what felt like the first time that evening.

He found himself seeking out Henry first, to make sure the boy was okay with all the questions he was surely getting, but instead found him trying to guide Cora to a seat. Of course he wouldn't be approached while in her company, and the tiny bit of Archie that was still bitter wished he could have thought of that very same idea.

Cora, however, seemed to have discovered a different way of coping. In fact, ever since the end of the dark one, he had observed her partaking in this particular ritual a bit too often. He still was a bit in awe of how much alcohol she could contain at once.

"Hello, bug!" Cora exclaimed once he approached. He desired mainly to make sure she was all right and to relieve Henry if he wanted to go off with some of the other children. The boy seemed grateful for his appearance and almost immediately headed off to find Ava and Nicolas, or Gretel and Hansel, depending on what they went by here.

"Cora, I see you seem to be enjoying yourself," he said politely, taking a seat next to her. There was nothing more fascinating to him than the habits of Cora Mills. To watch someone go from being so cold and heartless to trying to make herself better was just a truly remarkable experience. He was certain that it would make a good book, and told himself the notes he took were not for that purpose, but it just seemed like an inevitable experience.

Sometimes it was difficult to watch how she suffered, though. Making up for all the pain and suffering she had put her daughter through was never going to be an easy task, and he'd been around to see just how tortured Cora secretly was over the whole ordeal.

Cora had let go of her rage and replaced it with little vices. At first it had been smoking, but when it just made Regina cough like crazy any time she came near, that had been quickly dropped. He'd then watched Cora try using her magic for happy things whenever she felt the need to strike out, but that had only lasted a week. Reformed as she wanted to be, it was clear that some things just were not meant to change.

For a while she had taken to online shopping, impulsively purchasing everything from imported chocolate to a motorcycle. Regina put a stop to that one when she quickly cancelled the credit card she had lent to her mother.

Now it seemed to be alcohol. He knew it was a dreadful habit, probably doing some serious damage to her health, but Archie hoped this vice would be ended just as quickly as the others had. He'd give it a month before growing concerned, and in the meantime, he had been told numerous times from Cora that she did not want him trying to help her.

Studying her, though, she had never actually said no to. And really, he reasoned, it was the best way for him to learn with such a perfect, extreme example in front of him. He could just picture all the patients he could end up helping after just observing a woman as complex as Cora.

"I'm hiding from Reginaaaa," Cora slurred, her stiff composure only dropping slightly before she straightened back up. She snickered. "I did something quite naughty, but you'll be pleased."

Archie found that he was almost afraid to ask, as Cora could be a rather crude or provocative woman at times, but the mischievous glint in her eyes was getting the better of him. Perhaps this would get him more insight into his Cora analysis.

"Cora, I doubt I'll be pleased if you've done something wrong." He sighed, feeling as though he was speaking to a child—though a drunk woman like her wasn't too far off. The "conscience thing," as it was often referred to by others, still refused to leave him be.

"I may have _accidentally_ led Charming to the optimal viewing space for a lovely conversation between Emma and Regina. If he doesn't know already, I'm sure he will soon," Cora declared, smiling brightly.

He couldn't exactly object to what the woman had done, since the actions had been about revealing the truth. Only Cora could find a way to misbehave by doing the supposedly "good" thing. Also, this meant that he would soon be able to relax and quit having to rearrange his wording around to keep from directly lying about anything.

"Well, for your sake, I hope he doesn't take it too poorly."

* * *

Regina had not felt like heading back to the party, as the day in its entirety had been all too exhausting to her. Between the fights with Emma, the desperate stress of keeping of a charade, and the energy lost in their magical realm travel, Regina was beyond feeling fatigued.

Her mother was, thankfully, nowhere to be seen when she entered the bedroom. It wouldn't be surprising to find that Cora had ended up with some strange suitor for the night anyways, so she paid no mind to the other woman's absence. She would be able to finally relax in a bit of calm quiet. Or at least, so Regina thought.

The moment her head hit the pillow, she could feel her body practically melting into the new silk sheets her mother had conjured onto the bed. It was quite a heavenly sensation, and as the fatigue settled into her bones, Regina was positive she would be out in mere moments.

Unfortunately, the chill from the empty left side of the bed made that more difficult than it should have been. This would be the first time in almost a year that she would be going to bed without Emma next to her. The blonde had a special knack for finding her in her sleep and latching a protective arm around her waist, no matter what positions they began the night in. She had at first complained of it being annoying, claiming that Emma was making her feel trapped or claustrophobic. In reality, though, both knew that Regina found it more endearing than anything, which is probably why Emma always continued doing it.

Missing her love made Regina well aware of the other thing she was currently feel lost without—their steadily growing baby. Though they were only two months into the pregnancy, Regina found herself being constantly aware of the tiny presence. It was still much too early for kicking to begin, but there was a certain sensation that overcame her in calming waves whenever she got close enough.

And it was the thought of this sensation that eventually lulled Regina off to sleep, leaving her with a final thought of how empty it all felt.

* * *

_She was watching Snow White through her mirror, as she typically did on any given evening. Regina knew she was bordering on obsessive, but her actions simply couldn't be helped. Besides, Snow in danger was too good to pass up sometimes. She had been watching, through the reflective eye of an especially smooth necklace Charming's mother was wearing, as Snow poured her heart out about having become infertile._

_Well, that was certainly a new development._

"_Oh, Snow, dear, what trouble have you landed yourself in now. Such a pity, that man will never want to marry you if he discovers the truth," Regina sneered, not caring that she couldn't actually be heard. Sometimes she found herself speaking a lot more these days to no one in particular, and Regina was beginning to think it had more to do with her raging hormones than anything else._

_Yes, she was a woman experiencing some rapid changes, but for a very good reason. Inside the Queen was a growing baby, now old enough to kick her every so often as she jutted about. Her typical tasks had been forced to be continued only from a distance, the threat of what Snow could do to her unborn child far too great to risk. After all, the woman didn't have the greatest track record when it came to Regina's loved ones._

_No, her days of torturing Snow White were drawing to an end, a new chapter in her life filling her with hope of a second chance. She could be good for this child. She could be better than Cora was._

_Putting a hand subconsciously on her own slightly swollen belly, Regina felt a pang of pity towards Snow. Of course, this hadn't even been her own doing—whatever it was that had occurred—so the Queen felt no need to feel particularly caring towards the woman. She blamed her terrified thoughts of losing a child on her ever present hormones._

_Those seemed to be taking the brunt of the blame, lately. When she'd magically thrown a guard out the window for asking if she felt all right, as she'd been looking a bit green from the morning sickness, it really wasn't her own fault that the instinctive flick of a wrist had sent him flying. She'd even apologized later on. Well, in her own way. This baby was turning out to be even more vindictive than she was._

_She watched as they gave Charming's wounded mother a drop of water from Lake Nostos curiously. Clearly the pair didn't understand the implications involved with using the water, and she mused for a moment at Snow's reaction when she learned that the water's healing properties weren't quite so cut and dry. No, in order to heal one, another would be harmed._

_All magic comes with a price._

"_Innocent little Snow is about to take a life. Can't say I'm surprised," Regina mused bitterly. Anyone in danger of harm from the wretched girl earned her deepest sympathies._

_But then she watched as the water didn't take effect and frowned. It should have had instant results, but now they were having some make-shift wedding as if it was her dying wish. _

_She never thought, as Snow took a sip from their wedding cup, that the piercing pain would hit her so hard._

_Regina roared, letting out a blood curling screech that echoed off the walls of her entire palace. Her hand reached down to her stomach, panic setting in as the stabbing pain made her knees buckle. The Queen was on the ground, hot tears pouring down her cheeks, a deep red pooling at her feet._

"_N-no!" she cried, immediately using her magic to try and do something. "My baby," rang her screams of distress. _

_Nothing happened._

_There were not many moments in her adult life where she had experienced true fear, too hardened in her youth to really care anymore. At this moment, however, Regina thought her hair could have easily turned ghost white. _

_This baby was her second chance, her saving grace. She would finally have someone give her unconditional love. She had felt the little feet kick—clearly preparing to don a pair of high heels the moment she could walk—and the sensation of that immense love she felt sent the woman into overdrive._

_Not even Daniel had elicited such a deep happiness from her._

_Her servant girl, the one she'd trusted best, came into the room, having apparently heard her desperate cries of anguish._

"_Your Majesty, what's wrong!" the girl exclaimed, daring a chance to dart to Regina's side. _

_In too much pain to protest, she simply clutched onto the offered hand, digging her nails in as a sob ripped from her throat. "My baby… something's wrong," Regina bit out through clenched teeth._

"_I'll get the doctor," she said, rushing away and leaving Regina alone in the puddle of blood on the stone._

_An hour later, the doctor confirmed to her that the baby was gone. _

_That's when the realization hit her. At first, Regina's pain and fear over her unborn child had consumed her thoughts, but now she recalled what had been happening simultaneously._

_Snow must have drank the water instead, probably to restore her fertility. But all magic comes with a price, and another had to pay it. The coincidence was far too strong to be anything else._

_Her blood boiled, sending her into another scream that would surely instill terror in all nearby parties. She looked like a ravaging animal, but Regina did not care. _

_Her baby was gone because of Snow White._

* * *

"AHHHHH!" A scream cried out into the night as a body leapt up from its spot, nestled into the covers of the bed. As her erratic breathing began to calm down, Emma reached up to wipe the collecting beads of sweat from her forehead.

"What the hell was that?"

* * *

So on a scale of 1 to Snow White, how much do you guys hate me right now? =D I'd love to hear what you think!


	8. Sweet Dreams

The Birdcage

Disclaimer: Not my characters... yada yada... you know the drill.

Author's Note: WOW! Can I just say, you guys are amazing, even though you all hate me for that last chapter? Hopefully some of this one makes up for it. I tried to get in what people have asked for the most.

Also, someone asked me if I was setting up an Archie and Cora romance... oh, hell no! (Unless you guys want that... which you don't, do you?)

* * *

Chapter 8: Sweet Dreams

Emma was up from her bed in a moment, running barefoot across the cold stones of the flooring as she headed out without a passing thought to the time, her current attire, or even what she was doing. Something had just happened, and though it made no sense to her, she felt the upmost urgency to go and check on Regina.

Her worn flannel pajama pants and Storybrooke P.D. t-shirt didn't really fit the setting, but the thought remained irrelevant to Emma, as she was currently on a mission. From the lack of activity around her, Emma surmised it must have been sometime in the middle of the night. This made her feel a deep sigh of relief, as it meant no one was around to see her heading in a frantic state towards the chambers of Regina Mills.

Well, that wasn't entirely true. She'd quickly come to discover that there were guards sporadically positioned through the hallways, lurking in the shadows as they remained in their posts. Luckily, the men paid no mind to her, simply staring blankly ahead, as was their duty.

This made her feel vastly glad, for Emma was in no mood to worry about Snow, or anyone really, finding her wandering about in the middle of the night. That would just lead to questions.

However, somewhere around ten minutes into her frantic run, Emma realized she had absolutely no idea where she was going. In fact, as the one wall hanging (a tapestry, she thought it might be called) blurred past her vision again, Emma got the distinct feeling that she may be heading in circles.

She stopped in her tracks, looking around for a sign that might read "Evil Queen this way." She had no such luck.

And of course, with no prior experience in the castle, Emma had no idea where the former Queen's chambers would even remotely be located. As she was beginning to realize it was all a lot larger than she'd originally thought, Emma was on the verge of feeling hopeless.

She couldn't ask the guards where Regina's bedroom was, for that would only raise suspicion. Something told her that, despite their solitary appearance, the guards would still be quite talkative when she had her back turned.

Or worse, they might alert Snow to her seemingly strange visitation… in the middle of the night.

No, the guards were out of the question in that regard. She could, however, ask them at least how to get back to her own room. It wasn't ideal, as she still desperately felt a tug towards Regina, but what else was she to do?

And suddenly, in the form of a hard smack to the ground, Emma's answer was found.

"Holy fuckballs," she groaned, rubbing at her ass where it had contacted the stone flooring. "Hasn't anyone here ever heard of carpet?"

"Really, Emma?" the voice of the very woman who had knocked her over hissed out through gritted teeth, as if holding in her own pain. "Do you have any idea how long it would take to vacuum an entire palace? Carpet would be an absurd inconvenience."

"Cora?" Emma asked, eyes adjusting in the dimply lit hallway to make out the figure of Regina's mother, sprawled out on the ground just a few steps away.

"Who else, dear?" she barked.

Emma groaned again, at first not in the mood to have some sort of back and forth with the woman when her mind was still so strongly on Regina. She couldn't explain it, but that dream had left her with a feeling of desperation to get there, and it was starting to become physically painful to not be holding her with every moment that went on.

"What are you doing up so late?" Emma asked, furrowing her eyebrows.

"I was just reacquainting myself with an old friend. Is that a crime?"

"No, of course not," Emma grumbled.

"I could ask you the same thing, you know."

"Huh?"

"Why you're out here so late. Is there something I should be worried about?" Cora asked, bordering on serious with her tone.

"No, nothing like that. I was just trying to go see Regina," the blonde confessed.

"Well, she's clearly not here, Swan. In fact, you're not even in the correct wing." The sarcastic tone to Cora's voice was really not helping with her nerves.

"Yes, well, thank you, Captain Obvious. I realized that I have no idea where I'm going." Emma sighed in defeat.

"Captain who?" Cora asked, an eyebrow peaked in confusion, not understanding the saying. She waved a hand as if dismissing the thought, though, and looked at Emma more seriously now. "I can see that. It isn't a hard path to get there, assuming you can follow my directions better here than when you're in that ridiculous yellow banana carriage of yours."

Emma wanted to object to the dig at her beloved car, but held back when she realized she had finally found a way to get to Regina. Would the redundant I Will Always Find You be too corny?

"Don't even think about saying it," Cora deadpanned suddenly, making Emma jump. She hadn't spoken that out loud, had she?

"You're just that predictable, Swan," she drawled in amusement, suddenly seeming bored by their conversation.

"Right." Emma nodded, not feeling entirely confident in the explanation but then again, it was Cora. And the more she thought on it, the more she realized it was probably a bit overused in her family line.

_God, I hope Henry doesn't inherit that, too,_ Emma thought to herself with a wince.

Emma cleared her throat, shifting on her toes that were suddenly realizing just how cold the floor felt. "So, uhm, can you just point me in the right direction?"

"Of course, dear," Cora said with a small yet endearing smile. Though, as she began explaining, Emma felt herself getting lost by about the third turn she was expected to take. She decided that castles really should come with a map of some sort; it could be like in a mall, complete with the little "You Are Here" sticker to help her better navigate.

"You didn't get any of that, did you?" Cora asked in what could be described as annoyance, but Emma knew better. By now, she was sure Cora was well used to her easily distracted mind.

Emma opened her mouth to respond, but instead inhaled a puff of smoke. She instantly found herself surrounded, only to have it clear away to reveal a large door at the top of a narrow staircase. It must have been Regina's chambers, she realized.

"Thanks, Cora," Emma grumbled under her breath. While she was glad to have saved time in getting to her beloved, she was a bit concerned about how the hell she was supposed to find her way back. She wondered if Cora really never thought things through, or if she did the things she did with a direct purpose. It was likely the later.

Suddenly, with her purpose remembered, Emma took the stairs two at a time and quickly reached the top, if not a little out of breath from the frantic efforts in the middle of the night.

She shoved the heavy solid wooden door open, not even bothering to knock, as it wasn't common practice for them to do so in their relationship anymore. The pang telling her that she was needed by Regina was growing much too strong to ignore for a moment longer.

The room was dim, lit only by a single candle next to the bed, but it was enough to reveal the frail form of Regina, sitting up in bed with tears drying on her cheeks. Emma didn't think, she just pounced onto the bed, needing to feel her in her arms.

"Emma? What are you doing here?" the confused voice asked, though she heard no objection in the tone. Regina would never admit it to her, but Emma could always tell when she was pleased with something.

The blonde snuggled under the covers next to Regina, immediately wrapping her arms around her and pulling her close. Her eyes closed as a content sigh escaped at the relief of not being apart any longer.

"Emma?" Regina pressed, trying to peel her away just a little. Emma only snuggled in further, afraid after her dream that the older woman would simply slip away from her grasp. She tilted her head, though, enough to look up and meet Regina's glossy gaze. Emma frowned, reaching up a hand to wipe a tear from Regina's cheek.

"What's wrong?"

Regina chucked, reaching down to run her long fingers through Emma's golden locks. "Dear, you've run across a massive castle, barely dressed, in the middle of the night. Don't you think I should be the one asking you that?"

Emma broke her gaze, suddenly feeling embarrassed for her actions. She hadn't meant to be so abrupt, but it didn't seem as though she had a choice. Her mind just knew that she needed to be with Regina in that moment, and it didn't require any thought.

"I, uh, had a bad dream," she admitted sheepishly, blushing at how childlike it suddenly sounded.

Emma expected some sort of snarky comment about how she couldn't even handle one night without her, calling her childish in that kindhearted way Regina always had. Instead, though, she was met with silence.

"Hmm," Regina hummed after a moment, eyes darkening as time went on. "It seems we have that in common."

"Is that why you were crying?" the younger woman asked softly.

Regina nodded, her gaze falling back on Emma. "But it's all right, dear. I was just startled by it, more than anything. You, on the other hand, seem much too shaken to have just suffered a nightmare, _sheriff," _she drawled, still running that gentle hand through Emma's hair.

The motion was calming, almost enough to make Emma forget that she was supposed to speak next. There was something about her dream that was still bothering her. It hadn't felt distant like her dreams normally did, where she always tried to feel but never could quite get there. This had felt like a memory, but how could she remember something she'd never experienced before?

"Gina?" she asked, suddenly feeling so small there in the candle light. "I don't think I had just a regular dream."

The older woman's brow furrowed, but she remained silent, eyes fixed on Emma expectantly.

"It, uhm, it felt more like a memory," she admitted.

"Emma, dreaming about your past is completely normal. I'm sure being here has stirred a lot of painful memories in both of us; that's all," Regina soothed.

Emma took a deep breath, preparing herself for the next words. She was afraid to voice them, because that would eventually lead to the truth which she very much did not want to acknowledge. She knew, though, that there would be no moving past this night until she did. "Yeah, but the thing is, I don't think the memory was mine."

"What do you mean, dear?"

"I mean that, what I saw and felt, it wasn't me. It was more like I was watching this scene that I couldn't have possibly attended. I could feel and sense things that weren't directly apparent. Is that even possible?" She was beginning to feel quite distressed by this, hoping beyond belief that Regina would tell her it wasn't. Then she could go back to acting like it had all just been a very horrid and twisted nightmare.

But Regina didn't say that.

"It could be possible, yes. But… I've only heard of that happening under one circumstance."

Emma didn't need to ask Regina to clarify, as she followed the older woman's line of sight down to her stomach. "The baby. Is that how I saw you like that?" Emma asked, immediately feeling Regina tense in response.

"So it was me." Regina didn't voice it as a question, but rather let her tone ring flat in the air. Emma pulled her a bit closer, the pang in the pit of her stomach suddenly dropping quite hard.

The blonde nodded solemnly, wishing she hadn't come. "What did you see?" Regina husked, eyes now tightly shut as she removed her hand from Emma's hair and touched it to her own brow.

Emma hesitated, knowing once she spoke it would all come true. And really, she didn't want it to be true, because then the only logical conclusion was that she was the direct source of Regina's pain. But still, she had come here and brought it up, and whatever reason their child had chosen to show it to her must have been important, so she took a bracing breath of air and met Regina's slowly opening eyes.

"I think you know what, if those tears are anything to go by. I… Regina… is that why I'm the one who got pregnant?"

At this, the tears broke through their glossy barrier and rolled down Regina's face in hot waves as she nodded yes. Emma shifted, moving so she could place her lips on each drop until she had kissed them all away. "I'm sorry you had to see that," she spoke with a punctuating sniffle.

"You're sorry? Regina, you don't owe me any apologies for that. If anything, I—"

"Don't you dare finish that sentence, Emma. I know what you're thinking," Regina seethed through her gritted teeth.

"But-"

"No," the older woman barked firmly. "You were born because you were meant to be, Emma, not for any other reason. I don't want to imagine my life without your or Henry, which is exactly what would have happened had things worked out differently."

"So, what, you're just okay with it? You're okay with what she did to you?" Emma asked in surprise.

She got a throaty, single chuckle in return; the darkness edging on Regina's voice was impossible to ignore. "I'll never be okay with it, Emma. What Snow took from me I can never get back, but she also gave me two—and soon three—of the most precious gifts I could have ever asked for. I got my revenge on her, I…" Regina trailed off, as if realizing a moment too late who exactly she was confessing this to.

"You took her away from her child like she did to you," Emma spoke softly, not at all feeling perturbed by the realization like she knew she should have.

"I could have killed you," Regina croaked out, barely above a whisper. "I wanted to."

"But you didn't," the blonde observed.

"No," Regina shook her head, a few more tears adding to the mix on her cheeks. "I didn't. You were so innocent; I just couldn't bear to… I thought taking you out of her life would be enough. I'm sorry, Emma."

Emma turned to her, cupping the older woman's cheek in her hand. "I'd never have blamed you if you had, killed me I mean. All this time, everyone's blamed you for taking what you wanted, but I don't see it that way. You were the bigger person in all of this, Regina."

Regina frowned, trying to turn her head, but Emma just held it in place. "No, Emma, I wasn't. I let my need for revenge take over. Snow didn't know what she did, she never did, and I had a long time to reflect on that and to forgive her for it. Showing you mercy doesn't excuse what I did."

Emma could feel her own eyes welling with water, against her own wishes. She was supposed to be the strong one, here. Regina had suffered the tragedy, after all, not her. Yet, it felt like things were going the other way around.

"I don't think I could have ever forgiven her. Or me. I would have just let me die," Emma spoke, her voice breaking off into a crack as she sobbed.

"Shhh," Regina soothed, wrapping her warm arms around Emma's shaking figure. "Please don't say that, darling. I wouldn't trade the family I have now for anything—the good or the bad."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Emma mumbled from where her face was buried in Regina's shoulder.

"You didn't need that burden on you," Regina admitted.

Emma stayed silent for a while, letting her own tears of confused grief fall as she processed everything in her mind. Snow had cost Regina to lose her baby, and Emma was the result of it. She was the reason for so much of Regina's pain. She was probably what had set Regina off enough to make her activate the curse. She had been spared by a pained woman who didn't have it in her to hurt a tiny baby, despite the fact that the same had been done to her. And to top it all off, Regina had never even told Snow what she had done.

"You said she never knew. Why didn't you tell my mother?" Emma asked, just above a whisper.

Regina jumped a little, probably surprised to hear Emma speak after such a drawn on silence, but she sighed regardless. "You weren't the only one who didn't deserve that burden."

Emma looked up at Regina with a mix of awe and sympathy, wondering how a woman could be perceived as evil when she was so strong and, in Emma's eyes, entirely too merciful. "You're a good person, Regina," Emma admitted softly, feeling that she needed to tell her as much.

Regina didn't respond; she just simply sat there, holding Emma tightly to her. The more she thought about it, though, and all the resounding implications, the more Emma felt troubled. She couldn't imagine her life without Regina in it, but how was it the older woman could bare to be around her so much after all she had done?

"How can you love me?" Emma asked as more tears came down her cheeks. "I mean, it's one thing to let me live, but to actually look at me every night and… How is it you can do that?"

Regina's warm smile met her, and immediately she began to feel the soothing effects of the woman she loved. "I told you, Emma. It was a long time ago, and nothing will change my love for you. Nothing can alter true love, dear. I'm not all right with what happened, but I've come to accept it, and you certainly played no part in fate. I can love you because you look at me, like you are right now, and you see something good that even I have trouble finding sometimes. Just keep looking at me like that, and I won't need anything else."

Regina moved in, closing the distance the last few inches of air provided as she placed her lips against Emma's and pulled her closer. Emma melted into the kiss, needing to feel Regina as closely as she could, their lips moving against each other until the need for air became too strong.

"Besides," Regina husked just above a whisper. "Our baby _is_ giving me what I lost. That little one is both of us, Emma, and the past won't make me love it any less."

Emma pushed their lips together again, kissing her almost desperately now. She pulled back, just an inch—enough that Regina's breath was still hot on her lips as she spoke.

"What if I can't forgive her, though?" Emma asked, searching Regina's deep chestnut eyes for some sort of answer. She didn't understand why she was so affected by this, but that dream had made her not only see what happened, but feel it. The connection was so strong, the pain still feeling fresh, that Emma's emotions were having a difficult time coming to terms with the horrors her mother had committed.

No matter what reassurances Regina voiced, they didn't get rid of that feeling deep in her gut that she had experienced. They certainly didn't change the fact most prominent on Emma's mind—her life had cost Regina everything.

"Then you don't," Regina pointed out before beginning to nibble on Emma's collarbone. She moved along the length of it, alternating between kisses, gentle sucking, sinking her teeth in just enough to leave a mark but not break the skin, and running her tongue along in a soothing motion. Emma was helpless at suppressing her groan.

"But you will, eventually," she added, nonchalantly biting down sharply on Emma's collarbone where she'd just kissed. Her soft lips moved down Emma's flesh, hitting the collar of her t-shirt with a frustrated groan. Emma didn't waste a moment, knowing where this was headed as she yanked the shirt off her head and tossed in somewhere across the room.

Regina's eyes turned almost black, widening as she took in the sight of Emma with nothing on above the waist. The blonde was suddenly very glad she didn't sleep in a bra, as the hungry stare she was getting could only mean one thing.

Her left breast was taken in Regina's palm, at first, being kneaded like dough. "Wh-what if I can't? What you felt, Regina, I could feel, too," Emma stuttered, swallowing thickly as her breathing began to speed up. Regina moved her mouth to replace the hand on Emma's breast, circling her sensitive nipple with the tiny ministrations of her tongue.

For a moment, Emma forgot they were still having a conversation. She arched her back with a soft gasp as the brunette's teeth scraped against the pert bud, and she couldn't be sure, but there was a good chance a loud "Fuck!" escaped her lips. Regina only pulled back with a smirk, blowing cool air where the wetness from her mouth still remained with a wink.

"Then you don't and we," she paused to place a kiss between Emma's breasts in her trail over to the other, "don't have to ever come back here. Now, shut up so you can really _feel _me." And with a sharp gasp from Emma, she began attacking the other breast in the same way she had before, daring to bite down and elicit a decidedly pleasurable cry from Emma.

"Gina…" Emma groaned, feeling the increasing wetness between her legs go unattended to for far too long.

Regina had moved on from the breast, now trailing down her abdomen, but at the uttered nickname she bit down, hard, and Emma wondered if she had drawn any blood in the process. "What did I just say?" she practically growled. "No talking. Tonight, I am going to make you feel, right here, right now, in the present. Understood?"

Emma simply nodded, knowing not to argue with Regina when she had her in such a state. Luckily, her silence was rewarded, as she soon watched as her partner's lips parted and her teeth latched on to the spandex waist of her flannel pajama pants, slowly pulling them down until her fingers could manipulate them the rest of the way down Emma's body.

She groaned, not daring to speak a word. Regina wanted this to be about feeling, and she couldn't find it in her to argue the fact.

She felt her panties being pulled down before she heard the snicker from Regina, who had wormed her way back up Emma's legs and was now trying to spread them apart, head already just inches away from Emma's throbbing center.

"Oh, yes, I'd say you are definitely feeling this," Regina husked, meeting her eyes with a mischievous grin. Emma didn't think she'd be able to hold her head up much longer, but there was something entirely irresistible about watching Regina look at her like _that._ Her eyes sparkled, tongue darting out to lick her lips, teeth baring in an almost animalistic way—it still amazed Emma that someone could want her that much.

She felt a nipping at her inner thigh and threw her head back onto the pillow as her back arched, jerking her hips closer to Regina. She could feel everything building, but Regina's touch was still missing from the equation. Soft lips kissed where she had just been bitten and trailed along up the rest of her thigh, stopping right above her center.

Emma whimpered, desperately trying not to push herself down onto Regina, tempting as the thought was. Then, as if the woman sensed her despair, a tongue suddenly darted out and swiped between her folds, expertly hitting that little bundle of nerves.

The younger woman bit her lips to keep from cussing out loud, instead practically leaping from the bed at the contact. She needed Regina inside her and she needed her now.

This was an often practiced dance for the pair, so it didn't take long—just a few more teases at Emma's entrance with a very swift tongue—for Emma to feel two fingers gliding into her. Regina pumped into her a few times, curling her fingers into just the right spot that would make her see flashing lights. The skillful tongue found its way back to the bundle of nerves, whilst Regina continued pumping in and out of her, and Emma didn't think she could hold on much longer.

There was so much as once, so much _Regina,_ and she was slowly beginning to feel overwhelmed with her essence. Regina had stuck true to her word, Emma was feeling her, and not in some way that she was remembering an event from over 30 years ago.

Emma's climax was building, causing her to wimper and arch off the bed as Regina sped up the actions of both her tongue and the steadily pumping fingers. The room was nearly spinning by the time Emma came, bursting with a loud moan as the fire spread from her toes and her fingertips, down to that spot in her center that coiled in content.

She could feel Regina smirk against her now entirely too sensitive folds as she removed herself and crawled back up to lay beside Emma's body. The blonde was already drifting off to sleep, seeing nothing but the remnants of Regina's smile as she wrapped her arms around her lover and closed her heavy eyes.

* * *

Okay, what do you think? Have I been upgraded from that Snow White level of hate? =D

THANK YOU ANON! I accidentally uploaded this with some notes at the end for the coming things, nothing too major, but oops! Some of you got a free spoiler there.


	9. Trees for Skies

The Birdcage

Disclaimer: Once not mine. Yadda Yadda. Gimmie Lana.

Author's Note: I'm back! Sorry all, some of you thought this was abandoned because I forgot to mention I would be working on several large research papers, taking my finals, and then immediately going on vacation. I made this the longest one yet, though, and I think it's the moment you've all been waiting for. I'm nervous about this one, but I hope I did it justice. Anyways, there is only one more chapter and the epilogue, unless I feel particularly long winded and end up squeezing two out of what I have left. Don't worry, though, I am already working on another SQ multi-chaptered story as well as several promised one shots. This will be the summer of Swan Queen.

Right, I've talked long enough. ENJOY!

* * *

Chapter Nine: Trees for Skies

Regina groaned, feeling the effect of the light cracking through the space between the window's curtains across her face. Was it really morning so soon? The unexpected visit from Emma had been admittedly welcome, though seriously ill-timed.

Her nap after the tiring travels the day before had not done much in the way of making up her spent energy, and the stress of Emma's family had managed to take even more out of her. She loved having Emma in such a way, but now her body was paying for it.

The groan from behind informed her that the younger woman wasn't too thrilled to see the daylight either, as it meant they would be requested at breakfast before long. An arm that she hadn't noticed before tightened around her waist, pulling her closer to a now decidedly awake Emma.

"Morning," Regina groaned, snuggling into the hold despite the fact that she clearly should have been pushing to get out of bed.

"Can we just stay here all day?" Emma grumbled. "Henry can entertain my parents, and I'm sure your mother will cause enough trouble to cover the quotas for both of us."

Regina chuckled deeply, feeling the sleep slowly drain from her voice.

"As wonderful as that suggestion sounds, we can't do that. This is what happens when you visit your parents. We don't get to sleep in."

"Not even for this?" Regina could hear the pout in Emma's tone without even seeing her, gasping when the hand around her waist suddenly moved lower and toyed with the hem of her slip.

"Especially not for that." She sighed, slapping Emma's hand away and squirming out of the hold. Another moment with the blonde's playful antics and she wouldn't be leaving that bed for a very long time.

This time, now standing, Regina could actually see the pout.

"No fair. Your mother practically lives with us, you know."

"And your point is?" Regina lifted an eyebrow in question.

"Well, we never hold off on anything just because she's around."

At this, Regina couldn't even hold in the laugh. "Dear, that's because my mother actually knows about us. That and she spends most nights in the apartments of her various sex buddies, or whatever it is you call them. Henry is a bigger threat, and really, I think the baby may have tipped him off."

The blonde, for her part, only grumbled under her breath as she finally got up from the bed. Regina smirked, satisfied that she had won their little spar, and turned to find something to put on from her suitcase.

"You didn't unpack?" The question came from a startlingly close distance, and Regina was surprised to see Emma right smack behind her.

"No, I… suppose I never got the chance."

"Or you were planning for a quick getaway," Emma teased pointedly.

"Well, perhaps you may be on to something there, dear," Regina mused. "Can I help you?" she added, realizing that Emma wasn't budging from her spot behind her.

"I, uh, left my clothes in my room last night. And Cora kind of had to poof me here when I got lost, so I don't really feel like running around through these massive hallways in my jammies. Think I can just borrow something?"

"On one condition," Regina said, pretending to think hard about her answer.

"Oh, and what would that be?" Emma asked cockily, closing the distance so that her lips were only a mere inch away, breaths mingling in the air.

"You never, and I mean _never_, teach that child the word 'jammies.' Understood?"

Emma laughed, and the puff of air hit her in the face due to the lack of distance. Regina smirked, holding back from connecting their lips until she got the answer she desired, all the while trying to look serious. She couldn't see her own face, but was sure she was massively failing at this task.

"Deal," Emma spoke quietly, and they closed it with a kiss.

Pulling away, Regina turned and fished something out of her bags for the blonde to wear. She selected a pair of jeans which really belonged to Emma, though she had taken to wearing them around the house more recently when she realized the effect it had on her counterpart. Her fingers met the smooth blue silky fabric of one of Emma's favorite button-down shirts, so she pulled that out as well and handed them off to the other woman.

"Thank you." Emma accepted the clothes with another peck before moving to get dressed, quickly followed by Regina.

"So about last night," Emma began, filling the silence that had fallen over them as they dressed comfortably in each other's presence.

"What about it?" Regina felt her spine stiffen at the memory. While she wasn't upset that Emma now knew, she wished she could have softened the blow by simply recounting the story herself.

"We need to talk about that."

"Perhaps, but don't you think it can wait until we get home."

"Yeah, I suppose you're right."

The silence was back, but this time a bit more strained. It was clear that this was going to become a thing that they would have to get over, but there certainly never was a shortage of those in their life. Regina knew there was no chance of Emma letting it drop, but at least they could wait until this whole fiasco was over.

Some old wounds should stay old wounds when the chances in the present are so beautiful.

"So, who do you think your mother is seeing?" Emma blurted in what Regina knew was an attempt to lighten the mood.

"What do you mean?" she asked conversationally.

"Well when I ran into her last night, she wasn't just wandering around. There's someone here. Any guesses?"

Regina was surprised, though she didn't quite know why. Perhaps it was the fact that her mother had only been showing interest in people from the other world, outsiders who didn't know of her past. But here she was well known as being the Queen of Hearts.

"How odd," she voiced. "I suppose we could ask her, but knowing my mother she'll take it as an invasion of privacy and lose her head."

"Yeah," the blonde murmured.

They were both moving around each other now, getting ready for the day ahead. It never ceased to amaze Regina how easily they could become in synch with their routines. Things almost felt rehearsed, though no such planning had occurred. It was merely a method both had fallen into over time, and it was pleasant to note that it transcended to any bedroom or world, for that matter.

"So what exactly do people eat for breakfast here? Any chance there are some poptarts?"

Regina laughed at her ignorance, unsure how to relay the disappointing news that there would be no processed sugar this morning. Some things would just never change, and for that, she was beginning to realize she was very thankful.

SQSQSQSQSQ

Half an hour later found both Emma and Regina making their way into the hall where breakfast was to be served. They had talked about going in separately for about a minute before deciding that if they were going to be coming clean to Snow, there was no reason not to enter at the same time.

If anything, she'd likely just think they had bumped into each other on the way there, which Regina had insisted was completely possible after some hesitation on Emma's side, seeing as she still had no idea how to find her way around.

Henry was the first to spot them as they entered the doorway, having dropped each other's hands just outside. Emma smiled down at him, ruffling his hair as he took to giving his other mother a massive hug.

"Mom, did you see how much food we get for breakfast!" He was jumping up and down in excitement, pointing over towards the feast spread out across the table. The amount of food was making Emma feel a little uneasy, after all, there was no possible way they would eat all of that. Every meal here ended up being just as large, she mused, and wondered if the people of her parents' kingdom ate as well and as frivolously as they did.

She doubted as much. And really, she wanted to ask, but figured leaving the politics of the Enchanted Forest to a different visit might be a safer option. The Regina shock would likely be enough to send Snow off, let alone finding out her daughter is opposed to how she was running everything.

"Yes, Henry, I do. Did you sleep well, dear?" Regina asked, and Emma watched on with a beaming smile. This would be the last time she had to hide them as her full family, and it was a proud moment to her that she would soon be telling the world. Well, just Snow White, really, but it was still a big deal in her little world.

"Mhmm!" He nodded excitedly, then suddenly quieted his voice so that only the two of them could hear him. "But I think I like home better. They don't have comic books here."

Emma couldn't hold back the snort of laughter that escaped, drawing the attention of a few faces she didn't recognize. Some were probably servants, others just members of the royal council or whatever Snow called the people who wandered around the castle at all hours as if they owned it.

"Can't say I don't agree there, kid," Emma cut in.

Regina nodded. "Yes, having lived in both, I much prefer the ways of our world. No matter, though. Next time we come visit, we'll just have to remember to pack some."

Emma's eyebrows rose in surprise at Regina's words. Next time? Someone was being awfully optimistic about how today was going to go. She smiled, loving how much faith Regina had in them as a couple. They could do this. She just had to get through telling one person, and then nothing else would matter.

Snow couldn't possibly take it that badly, right? She would probably be relieved. Emma enjoyed Archie's company, but she didn't imagine he had been all they wanted for her, either. In her last minute state of panic, she even found herself reasoning that they would prefer Regina for her royal roots.

Though, she probably shouldn't mention that. Emma knew it wouldn't likely help her case.

The big double doors swung open, revealing her parents, and Emma felt her heart begin thudding loudly in her head. Regina discretely placed a reassuring hand on her back, nudging her forward until Emma was being pulled into a hug by her father while Snow went over to check that breakfast was prepared properly.

"Emma, perhaps now isn't the time to tell your mother… you know," Charming whispered.

Emma startled, yanking back out of his arms and holding back the sharp glare that wanted to make its way out. Backing out was not in the plan, in fact, backing out was the opposite of the plan. That was not what she needed to hear for a boost of encouragement.

"What do you mean? I thought you were going to talk to her so she'd be prepared."

"I did talk to her, it's just…"

"Just what?" she seethed between clenched teeth.

Regina's hand looped around her wrist, tightening fiercely, and she knew that her girlfriend was overhearing every word of this conversation. That was her warning not to mess up this time, or there would clearly not be a next time.

Emma hoped that her glare towards her father relayed the message properly.

"I ended up having to deal with something a little more eminent."

"What could possibly be more important?"

Emma shook her head, looking over at Henry who was watching them in confusion. She hoped he couldn't hear what was being said, but the looks being shot from both his mothers was probably a good clue-in. Emma considered asking Regina to take him away, but it was obvious the older woman had no intention of missing a word of this if her solid stance was anything to go on.

"Uh, well, you know how she gets these ideas into her head," he replied pathetically. Not for the first time she wished Prince Charming wasn't such a, for lack of a better term, pathetic wimp.

"Good morning, Emma!" A shrill voice sounded through the air, breaking them from the moment before Emma had the chance to really snap at him. She did shoot one more glare though, making it perfectly clear that she was not okay with this. He looked down like a kicked puppy, and she almost felt bad for causing the reaction, but it was nothing compared to the hurt she'd caused Regina over the past day.

"Snow, er- Mom. Morning."

Emma shifted uncomfortably, accepting the forced hug weakly.

"Did you sleep well? I came to check on you this morning but you were already up apparently."

Emma blanched. She had, of course, been in Regina's room, but her mother wasn't supposed to have checked to find that out. What was she, a little child that needed to be constantly watched? And she was about to say as much before realizing that she would also be revealing that she was sleeping with Regina.

That probably wasn't the best way to introduce her mother to the idea of their relationship.

"Oh, yeah. Early riser and all that. Hey, listen I need to talk to you about something." Emma needed to stay focused and get this out before it accidently slipped out any other way.

"Oh, Emma before I forget! I've been thinking…"

"Yeah?" Emma gulped, seeing her father's nervous fidgeting out of the corner of her eye.

"Snow," he warned.

"Oh, Charming, calm down. Emma will tell us if this is too imposing, but you know how limited time is. Emma, you see, here we have customs that differ from yours a little. And since you're the Princess rightfully, there are certain… expectations that you are desired to uphold."

"But I don't live here," Emma reminded, weary of where this was heading. She could just picture the lecture she was entering. It would be something along the lines of, 'Princesses can't have magical babies with Evil Queens' or some other mindless shit, she was sure.

"True," Snow nodded in acknowledgement. "However, you are still the Princess, and should you ever choose to come home and accept that title—"

"Wait, hold on, my home isn't here, and I can promise you right now that I have no intentions of being all Princessy and running a kingdom," Emma cut in.

Snow sighed, shutting her eyes for a brief second as if trying to tamper down some sort of tantrum.

"Perhaps, but you've seen how quickly things can change, so do you think you can just hear me out?"

Emma nodded begrudgingly. She didn't like where this was heading, but figured it wouldn't make much sense to snap at the woman without even knowing what she was getting so angry over.

The old Emma would have done that, maybe, but she was trying to change. She wanted to be a good mom, and snapping at a person before the suggestion was even completed wasn't going to get her there. So she took a deep, steadying breath, and motioned for her mother to go on.

"Right, so anyways, in this world there are certain customs that typically take place between a man and a woman, and they are very similar to some from your world, but here it tends to be much more expected when a woman is with child and…"

Emma interrupted again, despite her inner resolution to hear her out first. "Woah, hold up! I know you weren't really around much during those years, but I do NOT need the sex talk, no matter what world I'm in. And, Jesus, my kid is right here!"

Snow blushed, bringing a hand to her face as if she didn't quite know how to respond to that.

"Actually, Emma, that's not where I was going with this. I was talking about marriage. Here, for a Princess to have a child without being married, it's… well… quite the scandal. And we were hoping to have a ball to officially introduce you as the Princess before you part for your 'home,' so there would be the perfect opportunity. And really, you wouldn't have to do anything for it if you didn't want. It would just mean a lot to me to have that assurance in this world, at least, just in case you change your mind."

Emma would have cut in sooner, she really would have, but her jaw was too busy trying to stretch and reach the floor. Her eyes sought out Regina, who looked just as flabbergasted by the suggestion as she felt, and then moved on to her father, who was staring intently at an invisible spot on the floor.

Emma tried to successfully find her words, but even as the muscles in her jaw pulled it together and were able to move again, she couldn't quite get any sound to come out.

Marriage? Her brain couldn't even process the word. Her mother wanted her to get married. To Archie. So she could rule a kingdom that she had no interest in without making them look bad.

The fragmented thoughts were all she could manage.

She wasn't sure what should come first—the anger that Snow wanted her to do this out of selfish gain for some stupid family image, or the fear that someone she thought she could at least trust would do this to her.

If having a baby now without marriage was so horrible and dishonoring, what did they think about Henry? Was he just her bastard child that didn't count because she'd been knocked up at 18 and his father had sent her to jail? Emma felt sick, and this time it had nothing to do with morning sickness.

Her palms were sweaty, clenching firmly at her side as she tried to look up to all the many faces now pinned on her, waiting for a reaction. Her mother was standing in all her self-righteous glory, as if expecting that she would never dream of denying such an offer. Her father was still refusing to meet her gaze, but she could read the guilt stretched across his face clear as day.

And then there was Regina. She expected to see anger in the woman's eyes, but instead all she saw was sympathy. Sympathy from the woman who had been through something so similar in her life, that all she could do was look on to the woman she loved with a gaze that was so clearly filled with blind hope. Despite everything she had put her through in the last twenty-four hours, Regina still believed that she was going to do the right thing.

And then the door swung open, revealing a chipper Archie who had no idea what kind of storm he'd just entered.

This was the last observation before Emma realized the room was growing fuzzier with every rapid breath she inhaled in panic, and soon it all went black.

SQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQ

"Emma… Emma!"

The fuzziness faded away from her vision and Emma found herself staring up at a pair of concerned chestnut irises.

"What happened?" she groaned, feeling as the though wind had been knocked clear out of her.

"You fainted," Regina supplied with a little pout of disappointment. "You've been out for several minutes; I was growing concerned."

Emma tried to sit up, because she was apparently lying down somewhere now, but was stopped by a hand on her forehead pressing a cool cloth down.

"Don't. I don't want you going on me like that again. Just stay down until you get your bearings, all right?"

Emma nodded in acquiescence. She was still quite confused as to what was going on, and tried wracking her brain for the last thing she could recall.

They were getting ready to eat breakfast, Henry had said something about comic books, her parents showed up, and then the word marriage had fallen onto her like a bomb and nearly knocked Emma clear off her feet.

Actually, she realized, it seemed to have succeeded in knocking her all the way down.

"Wedding… I can't marry Archie!" she mumbled, trying yet again to sit up and locate her mother to inform her that she was in love with Regina.

This time, the older woman didn't stop her from sitting up, but she placed a hand on her thigh so Emma wouldn't try and stand, which she figured was a good idea and opted not to fight against. The cool cloth was whisked away, and Emma finally noticed where they were.

"Why are we in your room?"

When silence was the only sound to greet her, Emma tore her gaze over to the all too quiet brunette. "Regina, how did we get here?"

She saw the bright pink blush creep up the other woman's olive cheeks and waited, cocking an eyebrow as she knew whatever had happened had Regina embarrassed. Those moments were rare and few, but seeing as Emma seemed to have quite a few in comparison, she liked to treasure the ones she could get.

"Well, I was a little concerned when you just collapsed, and your mother was driving me absolutely insane, so I…"

"You what?"

Regina was biting her bottom lip, now, and Emma braced herself. This was going to be good.

"Well, I sort of panicked, and jumped down next to you. And you know, I was already sort of frazzled by everything and my mind decided it was a good idea to try and kiss you awake. Of course, nothing happened because you clearly fainted and were not cursed, but I was so afraid to look up and see everyone's reactions that I sort of poofed us away."

Emma just stared at the woman she loved, sure her face was only capable of holding a blank expression as she tried to piece together a probable visual of the events in her head. Regina was fidgeting nervously next to her on the bed, and it took everything in her not to straight out laugh.

"Well, I think it's safe to say my mother knows now. I should feel bad, but after that shit she just pulled, I could honestly care less," Emma declared.

At this, she got the smile she was hoping for, and swooped in to take it between her own lips.

Their lips moved against each other, relaying every bit of stress from the morning as they took the moment to properly treasure each other. Soon they would need to go back and face the music, but that could wait. Emma pulled back with a smirk, looking at her heavily panting girlfriend from up close.

Her lips were red and swollen from their kiss, the scar even more enunciated than usual, which Emma loved. She could feel herself grinning in response to the one spreading rapidly across Regina's face, and she took the moment to push her down onto the bed, straddling her hips over the giggling woman to pin her in place.

And she was going to punish Regina for being so naughty, but it was at that moment that the door to the room banged open, revealing a very distraught looking Snow White.

"Emma, get away from her, now! I don't know what she did to you down there, but it's not real. Come with me," Snow demanded, stepping into the room without invitation.

Emma growled, rolling off Regina but staying seated next to her on the bed. She reached out a hand and placed it on the older woman's thigh in a signal that she should stay put. Whatever was about to go down, she wanted to stand through it with Regina by her side.

"Snow, Regina hasn't done anything to me," she spoke calmly.

Snow merely scoffed, stepping forward and physically grabbing Emma by the wrist to try and yank her up and away from the brunette on the bed.

"Nonsense, Emma. You just don't remember. We'll go find Archie and he'll straighten this all out for you, though. She made you pass out and kissed you. It's a trap."

Emma ripped her arm out, narrowing her eyes at the woman as a jolt of pain shot through her chest. Not a physical pang, but rather that same buried one from her childhood that had been locked away after so much abandonment that it hurt too much to let the feelings out.

"I remember fine, Snow. Archie and I were never together. I just panicked when you asked about the baby and… and I shouldn't have lied. The thing is, I'm not good at this. I don't know how to be a daughter, and I was scared of how you would react, so I screwed up and took the easy out."

Emma stood up to continue her speech, approaching the woman who was just looking at her with betrayal and glassy eyes.

"Regina and I are in love. The baby, your grandchild, is hers just as much as mine. I don't quite get how, but I guess True Love magic is like that. Weird, huh? But I'm happy. I'm so, so happy with her in my life, and I don't want to go any longer with you not knowing that.

"You can't know me, as your daughter, without knowing the person I love. So I'm sorry you found out in such a sudden way, and I'm sorry that this spoils your big plans, but I'm happy. That's what matters, right?"

Emma was waiting for the big hug; that big movie moment where the mother takes her daughter into her arms and everything is suddenly right. That moment didn't come, and after a minute of staring at each other as strangers, Emma realized it wouldn't.

"Emma, this is wrong."

She felt tears welling up, strangling her with the realization that things weren't going her way.

"Look, I'm sorry I lied," Emma began, but was cut off by a raised hand.

"No, don't be. In fact, I wish you hadn't told me the truth."

The slap in the face couldn't have echoed louder if she had physically touched her, in that moment. Emma felt Regina pressing up behind her, supportive hands holding her up when all she wanted to do was crumble.

Emma Swan hated, more than any of this, how weak it made her feel. She was supposed to be the tough one, not some weak coward who falls at mommy's request, yet here she was.

"How can you say that?" she choked out.

Snow scoffed, looking at her with disgust, and Emma felt her stomach churn. "Oh, Emma. You could have lied. I offered you an out with a marriage to Archie. You could have everything here—a family, a kingdom, a very nice status. Instead you're what, planning on raising that thing with her? Regina is evil, Emma, and that won't change. What happens when you wake up and realize how you've fallen into her trap, what then?"

"I can't believe you," Emma said with a hysterical shake of her head.

"Why are you doing this to me, Emma?"

And that was it—the final straw that broke the camel's back. Only it didn't break Emma, in that sense. Rather, it set off a ferocity that even she didn't know existed inside her.

"Because you don't get to take that away from her this time!" Emma all but screamed.

"Emma, don't," Regina tried calmly, but it fell on deaf ears.

"No, Regina, she'll never get it if I don't tell her. She'll just go on, believing she's this perfect saint who wouldn't hurt a fly, but that's not true. She hurt you all those years ago, and now she's hurting me with all of this."

"What are you talking about, Emma?"

"I'm talking about the fact that you took Regina's first chance at being a mother away from her. You drank water from that stupid lake and caused her to lose the baby she was carrying, because all magic comes with a price and you were so selfish that you didn't even stop to consider… to consider that what you did would have consequences just the same. You made it so I exist at her cost."

"Emma, that never happened. She's just manipulating you to think—"

"No! She didn't even tell me that. The baby did, I guess, which is weird. But that's what happens when you get a magical baby. Regina should hate my very existence, but instead she just loves me. She loves me so much that she can actually look at me and become blind to the fact that I took the life intended for her kid.

"And now I have the chance to do something for her, to give her the baby that we made together, and you are being such a self righteous bitch that you can't even see it. You can't see past your pretentious goggles that only view black and white to see that Regina isn't the Evil Queen. She's just a woman that I love, my True Love, and I won't have you take that away from either of us."

"Emma," Regina spoke up sadly, pity heavy on her voice.

"Emma, please, just think about what you're doing."

"No!" she cut in, a sob breaking through her throat. Regina's arms were around her in an instant, holding her up as she kept her eyes burning into those of her mother. "No," she spoke a bit more softly.

"Maybe this was too soon for us to do this," Snow said, all signs of emotion gone from her voice.

Emma nodded in agreement, watching as the only mother she'd ever known walked out of the room and closed the door behind her without another word.

All that followed were her angry sobs, soothed by Regina's shushing sounds and the circles she precariously rubbed on her back.


	10. Say it Ain't so, Say I'm Happy Again

The Birdcage

A/N: So I was a bit worried that it got a little OOC in here, but the thing is, these aren't the same characters from the show. They've all had a year of time to make a difference, with many different people and events influencing them, so I'd like to think that this is how they would have evolved to be in that time. That being said, enjoy the last chapter! The epilogue shall be up shortly, and at the end of this I'll have some information about future writings. You've all been magnificent on this journey, which has shifted completely from its original intent, but I think it turned out all right.

* * *

Chapter 10: Say it Ain't So, Say I'm Happy Again

After a few moments of letting it all out—the pent up emotion of not only the past day, but also the past year of wishing things could be better—Emma was finally able to calm her heaving sobs, sniffling quietly into the crook of Regina's neck.

"I'm sorry," she mumbled, turning her wet cheek against the supple skin.

Regina looked down and raised a signature eyebrow, continuing the comforting circles on Emma's upper back.

"What for?"

Emma sighed, finally picking her head up as she worked to regain her fallen composure. "For everything—this whole trip, really."

"It was just too soon," Regina murmured, meeting Emma's glassy and red tinted eyes with her own warm ones. "Things will be better next time."

Emma snorted, looking for all the world like she couldn't decide between laughing or screaming.

"What makes you think there will be a next time?" Her fingers stretched down to play with a loose thread from the bedspread, eyes fixated on it as she sniffled again.

Regina placed her hand over Emma's own fidgeting one, halting its movements and causing the blonde to meet her gaze with an inquisitive expression. Regina was sure she could tell Emma that stars could turn into kittens and in that moment she would believe her just for the sake of having an answer, no matter what it was.

"Because you both said hurtful things to each other, and while they may have opened up some fairly deep wounds, they can heal eventually. Emma, if you and I could put behind us all the hateful words we spewed in the past, the vindictive plotting and lack of trust, then I know you can with Snow too, eventually. It was just too soon."

Tears spilled out Emma's eyes once more, silent this time, and the older woman frowned as she reached up a cupped hand to wipe them away.

"Why are you saying this? Shouldn't you be all for me never again speaking to your most hated enemy?" Emma asked suspiciously.

Regina thought hard for a moment, knowing it seemed the logical conclusion, and she wondered why she did care if that particular relationship was mended. She knew, though, that she could never deny Emma her whole family, even if it hurt herself a little in the process. And she was certain that what she was saying was true—in time they'd get past it.

And it definitely would take a lot more than one argument in a moment of heated passion to finally get rid of Snow White from her life. The flea didn't disappear that easily—she should know.

"Perhaps," she spoke finally, crinkling her nose in sorrowful amusement, "but I think you deserve that chance. While I can't say I'm all right with what she said or that I disagree with most of what you said, it was just a fight. You'll both calm down eventually, and then maybe she'll be more reasonable and willing to listen. It must have been quite the shock."

Emma laughed at this, and Regina thought for a moment just how twisted this all probably seemed to her former step-daughter.

"I suppose it's kind of the equivalent to Henry being in love with Hook," she mused.

The noise of disgust Emma emitted a moment later was worth the terrible image she'd conjured up while trying to find a proper comparison.

"What? How on earth do you get _that?_ Babe, that's just gross." Emma crinkled her nose in disgust.

"Well, he might as well have been Henry's step-grandfather, though I don't think it was ever legitimized. I'd like to think that my own marriage isn't counted as being legitimate either, at least in our world. Clearly it's not exactly the same, but with your family tree I had to strain a bit." She smirked.

"Yeah, but he's so much older than Henry… and Hook isn't exactly a good person."

Regina laughed at this, looking to the woman still wrapped in her arms in amusement. "Emma, dear, even without the curse I'm still older than you. And I imagine your parents have a hard time coping with how much you've grown, so they still view you as a little child. Also, as I recall, it wasn't too long ago even you didn't view me as a good person either."

Emma gaped at her for a moment, jaw flapping like a trapped cod fish. "Well, fuck," was all that escaped.

"So eloquent," Regina retorted with a laugh. "But do you see what I mean? If Henry, in ten years at least mind you, went off to Neverland to find him because they were true loves, how would you react?"

Emma snorted. "I'd pull out my gun and take his other hand off, obviously."

"You wouldn't want Henry to be happy, no matter what?"

"Well, of course I would, but it's just… there's no way Hook would make him happy. Is he even gay? I don't think Henry's old enough to know yet… right?"

Regina rolled her eyes, taking note of Emma's contorted expression. "Dear, you're both missing my point and proving it all at the same time. And this is just a rhetorical example, not something I can foresee occurring, so you can calm down about having to give him any sort of sex talk yet."

Emma frowned as if lost in thought for a moment, looking completely troubled as she tried to decipher the meaning of Regina's strange comparison. Even she had to admit that the thought unsettled her, but Regina was sure Emma would end up in the exact same position as herself—doing anything for Henry's happiness.

"So you're saying that even though I would freak out at first, I'd eventually make myself get used to the idea because I love Henry. And you think the same is going to happen with Snow?"

Regina nodded, assuring the weary tone of Emma's voice that she'd managed to grasp the lesson correctly. "I can't say for certain, of course, but I think time will help. She's a mother, just like us, it's just new and taking her a while to get there."

"And if I'm still not ready to forgive her after she does?" Emma asked quietly.

Regina moved forward, placing their foreheads together and smiling sweetly at her blonde girlfriend as she placed a gentle kiss on the tip of her nose. "You don't have to forgive her, Emma. What she said just now was very hurtful, but I think you could still have some sort of relationship, if you wanted to, without forgiving for that. There are some things that you simply have to move past. Don't you know who taught me that?"

Emma whispered a soft, "I did."

Regina smiled warmly. "That's right. Emma, for the past year you've been telling me that I just need to let things go and move on. I don't have to forgive Snow for all she's done to me, just like I don't have to forgive my mother, but they can still be a part of my life. And maybe one day forgiveness will come, but it shouldn't be forced and it shouldn't deter me from happiness any longer. I held on to my resentment for over thirty years, and I don't want you to do the same. Do you understand?"

"I think so, but…" Emma pulled away, a puzzled look contorting her face.

"But what?"

"When did you become the sensible one?" Regina let out a loud, single HA! at this before Emma continued. "I mean, she was completely rude to you, too. Why aren't you mad?"

"Oh, Emma, if you thing that's the worst of what's been exchanged between us over the years you're sorely mistaken. I expected nothing less. As for me being the sensible one, I always have been," she smirked, "but it has been a long year and much has changed. You're just rubbing off on me."

Emma laughed quietly, but it was enough to show that she was perking up from her foul mood just enough.

Regina reached out a hand, placing it on Emma's upper arm with a soft sigh. "Now, what would you like to do, darling?"

"I think we should go home," she replied, after a long moment of thinking in silence.

"Okay," Regina answered with a soft smile, beginning to stand to go pack her things.

"For good," Emma added quietly.

"What do you mean?"

The younger woman sighed, looking up at the ceiling as she spoke. "The parts about us I may be able to understand as just a scared reaction, but not the rest. All that shit about me being made a princess and having to get married just to fill some stupid throne… that was something thought out on her part. Even if you're right, I don't want to be in a world where that's a reality."

"Well, Henry may be a bit harder to convince, but trust me—I have no qualms about never setting foot here again."

"Good." Emma sighed. "I guess I should go gather my things and tell Henry. Can you find your mom and Archie and let them know?"

"Of course," Regina nodded, allowing Emma to approach and give her a kiss before she turned and wandered out the door.

SQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQ

It had only been a coincidence that Cora happened to be heading towards her room to grab a change of clothes from her suitcase that hadn't been retrieved the night before, but it was a welcome one as far as she was concerned.

From outside the door, Cora could hear every brutal word exchanged between Emma and Snow, and her blood boiled with the urge to go in and end Snow White once and for all. But she didn't.

It was Emma's fight to fight, not her own, and she knew it was right to let her have that moment.

Afterwards, however, when Snow stormed out of the room and off in the other direction—seemingly oblivious to her presence—Cora decided she could rightfully step in.

"Snow!" she yelled, running down the hall after the angry woman. After what she'd heard from the annoying younger woman's mouth just moments before, Cora's own anger was taking precedence.

The pixie-haired Queen didn't stop her movements, only continued stomping down the hall without even so much as turning to look at her. Miffed, Cora waved a hand and soon appeared through a haze of red smack dab in front of Snow.

The shorter woman ran right into her, halting with a resounding "oof" as she made impact with Cora's chest.

"Cora, not now!" she growled, trying and failing to move around her.

"No, now is perfect, dear. If you think I'm going to just stand by and let you speak to my girls that way, you really have it coming. Give me one reason I shouldn't rip your heart out right now?" Cora seethed.

"I knew you weren't really all reformed. What was all that, just a front to fool Emma and Regina?" Snow snarled.

Cora scoffed, laughing at the angry red tint to Snow's face. "Of course not. I have changed my ways with my daughter and her family, but that doesn't mean I'm opposed to harming those who threaten them."

Snow glared at her but stopped trying to escape, instead standing firm and facing off against the older woman.

"I'm not going to hurt Emma, Cora. But when I find out what Regina's done to her, I'll be sure to let you know it's time to play guard-dog."

"The only thing my daughter has done to that girl is love her. Emma can be insufferable at times, and she's a danger to everyone in that silly yellow car of hers, but she makes my daughter happy, so she has earned my respect. You, on the other hand, just lost any chance of gaining it!"

Snow rolled her eyes, looking back defiantly. "And you think I care about your respect? You just want Regina to marry Emma so that you can control my kingdom."

"No," Cora shook her head. She wasn't under some false illusion that the rest of the world would be able to forgive her, and she certainly wasn't trying to ask for it. "But I do hope you care about your daughter, and realize that at least someone cares about her."

As for the kingdom, Cora had no interest in seeking power any longer after all it had cost her. She knew she was lucky to have made it back into her daughter's life as it was.

"I love Emma," Snow seethed. "At least I didn't turn my daughter evil. And what I'm doing now is only to prevent that from happening."

"If I recall, you played a fairly large role in that too, dear. And really, I'd say right now you're doing the same thing."

"I'm just protecting Emma!"

"Exactly the words I told myself when I ripped the heart out of that stable boy and crushed it right in front of Regina. You're no better than me, Snow. Trying to make Emma choose between her true love and her mother's love—this is no different. I'm just glad she's brave enough to make the right decision."

"How dare you! You have no right to tell me anything about how to be a mother, of all people!"

"Perhaps," Cora smiled tiredly, "but there is one thing I seemed to have grasped better than you."

When Snow stayed silent, merely staring at her in wait, Cora continued, "I get that a mother has to put her child's happiness above everything. You already screwed that up once when you sent her away in order to save your people, but don't lose her for good by putting your kingdom's needs above her happiness again."

"I don't know what you mean," Snow spoke, hushing her voice down to a whisper as she spoke nervously.

"Do you think I haven't heard the talk? You don't _really_ care that Emma's fallen for Regina. You just need her because your throne is under threat and without an heir, you'll be out on your ass within the year," she explained smugly, enjoying it probably a bit too much as all the color drained from Snow's face.

"Then you understand what must be done, surely." The younger woman was almost pleading with her now, a complete turnaround to a few moments prior.

"Yes, abdicate the throne to someone you trust quickly and let your daughter be."

"I… I can't," Snow admitted, looking more conflicted than her tone sounded. "This is my home."

"You know what's funny, dear? Of the two of us, everyone would have expected you to be the better mother here. But you're not, you know. I'll protect Emma just as strongly as Regina, because I love her as a daughter now, too. And when they have my grandchild, I'm going to be there, and I'm going to get to hold that baby, because I'm not afraid to be a part of that life.

"But all you're concerned about is the power behind your title? They're in no danger when their intentions to remain over there are so clear. I'm starting to think you sound a lot like me here, Snow. Don't make that mistake."

And with that, Cora turned on her heels, clicking down the hallway towards her daughter's chamber door.

"Emma deserves better," Snow said coldly, eyes burning into her back as she momentarily stilled her steps.

"Yes, she certainly does," Cora retorted before stalking away, and even Charming would have been able to understand the double meaning to her words.

SQSQSQSQSQSQSQ

"Have you said goodbye to everyone, Henry?" Regina asked, standing with the rest of their traveling group where they had gathered in the woods outside the portal.

"Yup. But do we really have to go already?" he whined. They had opted not to tell him of all that had transpired between Emma and Snow, not wanting to upset him or cause any further hostilities from the young boy.

"We do, Henry. Maybe when we get home, we can see if some of your friends want to spend the night. Does that sound good?" She hated bribery, but there was no way Regina was going to stand here and have a long conversation about why there would be no more Enchanted Forest visits.

He took to the distraction happily, already chattering to Archie about who he might have over.

Regina turned her attention to Charming and Emma, who were in the middle of hugging goodbye. She knew that leaving her father like this would be hard on Emma, seeing as things had been going to well with them. "I'll talk to Snow, Emma. I don't want you out of my life now that I just got you back," she heard him whisper to Emma, and it warmed her heart that at least one of them was being sensible.

"Don't worry, Dad. I'll keep in touch."

She smiled at the scene, glancing over to see Snow fidgeting a few steps back and staring at the ground. Just as she was contemplating going over and saying something, two arms wrapped around her and pulled her from her reverie.

To Regina's surprise, she was being enveloped in another Charming hug, and it wasn't the most horrendous feeling in the world.

"Take good care of my grandkids," he said, pulling back from the hug to meet her gaze.

"I'll protect them with my life," Regina swore, staring back with her head held high. "All of them."

He just chuckled, patting her shoulder before turning away. "I know you will, Regina."

Just as she thought they might finally be done with goodbyes, another came.

"Dr. Lecter," Cora purred, startling everyone and bringing their attention to a man standing off by the trees.

He was tall and slender, dressed impeccably with sandy locks of hair and hollow eyes, yet he smiled at her warmly.

"Cora," he spoke with a heavy accent, drawing Cora's hand up to his lips to place an elegant kiss upon her knuckles. "Please, you may call me Hannibal."

Cora just giggled, an odd sound for anyone present, but they watched on in fascination as she wrapped her arms half-hazard around the stoic man's neck and pulled him in with her lips.

"Your mom's been sleeping with _Hannibal Lecter?!"_ Emma whispered between gritted teeth, shooting Regina a look of horror. She had no idea why her girlfriend seemed so freaked out all of a sudden, but chalked it up to having been stressed from the day's events.

"Emma, my mother having suitors is nothing new. Where did you think she was last night?" She rolled her eyes, looking around at everyone once more.

"Why is Cora kissing our cook?" Charming asked.

"I think I'm going to be sick," Emma murmured, and Regina did have to admit she looked a bit green. Hopefully the apparent morning sickness would pass before their journey through the portal.

"Then we should be going. Everyone ready?" Regina asked, gearing herself up for the amount of magic she would need to bring them back through.

After a series of murmured approvals, she stepped forward, holding out her hands for Emma and Henry to grab onto, Archie and Cora taking their places on the ends once more, after Cora had finally released Hannibal's lips.

"Wait!" Snow yelled, just as they were about to step through. Her silence was finally broken.

Emma and Regina turned, shocked to see her racing forward and throwing her arms around Emma, who simply stood there blinking in surprise. Though she was whispering, Regina could hear every word from her close distance.

"I'm so sorry, Emma! I love you, very much, and I know that I hurt you. So much has been going on, and I won't burden you with it, but it's put me on edge lately and you… you just got the brunt of it. I just need some time to get used to this, okay? Can you give me that?" Snow was tearing up as she clung to her daughter desperately.

Emma sighed, gently prying her away from the embrace and pausing a moment to look at her mother. "Time is good. That's kind of our thing by now, isn't it?"

Snow laughed nodding in agreement as she stepped back so they could leave.

Regina mused at Emma's words, realizing just how true they were. They always wanted time—something so precious and fleeting—yet with Emma and Snow it seemed to be boundless. And so, despite everything she'd ever wanted involving Snow White's presence in her life, she was comforted by the fact that it was only a matter of time until things finally settled down.

The End

(But not really)

* * *

Okay, so here's the thing. First, yes I really did put Hannibal Lecter in here. I had a different love interest for Cora, but then this twisted little idea popped into my head and I couldn't resist. I may write a one shot of their time together, but I warn you, it will be creepy and dark.

Now, I've been working on some other stories that I might post for you all if I get further in them, but I still feel like there are a lot of lose ends in this story. That is being done on purpose, because I don't want to continue this past the trip as it was intended, but those conversations and whatnot need to happen. Serious question here- are any of you interested in a sequel? I'm still working on a plot for it, but it would likely follow out through the pregnancy as they deal with the knowledge Emma gained from her shared dream. What do you think?

Thank you all again for your support, so much! Epilogue will be here soon.

PS Dear who was my 100th reviewer, you have not been forgotten! I am absolutely still writing your story, it's just taking me time to get organized over here.


End file.
